Daisy Ridley Applauds Fan Campaign to Revive Scrapped ‘Star Wars’ Sequel, ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’
Table of Contents
The outpouring of support from the Star Wars fandom for a canceled sequel, The Hunt For Ben Solo, has garnered praise from Daisy Ridley, who starred in the sequel trilogy. The project, envisioned by Adam Driver and director Steven Soderbergh, aimed to bring back the popular character Kylo Ren from the dead, but was ultimately rejected by Disney executives.
A Story Rejected, But Not Forgotten
In October, Adam Driver revealed the existence of the project, detailing a script he called “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of” during an interview with the Associated Press. Driver explained that while Lucasfilm initially showed enthusiasm, Disney ultimately deemed the concept of resurrecting Ben Solo unfeasible. “They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that,” he stated.
This rejection sparked a fervent response from dedicated fans, who launched a multi-pronged campaign to demonstrate their desire to see the film realized. On October 23, reports surfaced via Collider that a plane bearing the banner “Save #TheHuntForBenSolo” had flown over Disney Studios in California.
https://twitter.com/adamdriverss/status/1726849999999999999
Two days later, a billboard in Times Square joined the effort, displaying a message in the iconic Star Wars font: “For Adam. No one’s ever really gone. Hope lives. Ben is alive! #THBS.” Images of both the aerial banner and the Times Square billboard quickly circulated across social media platforms.
Ridley Expresses Joy at Fan Dedication
Ridley, while admitting she was initially unaware of the full extent of the project’s development, expressed her appreciation for the fans’ passionate advocacy. “I knew a piece of it. I heard rumblings,” she told IGN. “I have lots of friends who are crew, so things always travel like that. But, whoa! When the story came out, no, I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ And it was him that said it, right? It was funny because, like, ‘Oh, wow, Adam is saying it,’ and that’s the big surprise of the year.”
She continued, emphasizing the power of collective enthusiasm. “I do love when there is a collective of positivity,” Ridley said. “The way the internet seems to have rallied to try and get it to happen. It’s fantastic for us all. It’s good for us to all be united about something in a really positive way. Obviously, everyone knows he was a very popular character, but it was also lovely to think, ‘Wow, people really, really care and want this.’ I just… I like it.”
Ridley further highlighted the unifying nature of the Star Wars fandom. “I like when people join forces — excuse the pun — from all around the world, all different sorts of people,” she added. “I just love that the ‘Star Wars’ fandom is such a huge and gorgeous array of different points of view and different people, and the fact that everyone is really behind this thing, I think, is just sort of lovely, in a time that is so fucking nuts for probably every single person on this Earth. I think it’s wonderful. So I was surprised, and honestly, I felt joyful about how it went down.”
A History of Fan Activism in the Star Wars Universe
This isn’t the first instance of Star Wars fans actively attempting to influence the direction of the franchise. In 2017, a petition calling for a remake of The Last Jedi gained significant traction, though the petition’s originator later expressed regret over the effort. Similarly, in 2020, a viral #MakeSolo2Happen campaign emerged in support of a sequel to the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Meanwhile, the original Star Wars trilogy is set to return to cinemas in 2027 to commemorate its 50th anniversary, offering fans a chance to revisit the saga that ignited a global phenomenon.
