Prolific director Steven Soderbergh has no beef with Adam Driver. The Oscar-winning director, who discovered success with the Ocean’s trilogy, was engaged on a film that includes Ben Solo, a personality who performed a distinguished position within the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. Though the character supposedly died on the finish of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” the actor had an thought to carry the character again. After initially getting approval from Lucasfilm, the thought was scrapped by Disney heads, and the undertaking is, in keeping with Soderbergh, formally lifeless.
Steven Soderbergh Clears The Air
Whereas selling his new film, “The Christophers,” Variety couldn’t go up an opportunity to ask him about his canceled “Star Wars” movie. After they requested him what he realized from attempting to get the film made, he replied, “That there’s no such factor as wasted time.”
“It was nice to work on that with Adam Driver and [writers] Rebecca Blunt and Scott Burns,” he continued. “Typically that’s simply the way in which issues go. I do know what we got here up with was good. I feel it could have excited audiences. Working with sensible individuals, attempting to resolve sh-t, is the way you get higher.”
Steven Soderbergh Claims Adam Driver ‘Felt Unhealthy’
Within the interview, Soderbergh revealed that Driver “felt dangerous” about involving him, solely to see the undertaking find yourself on the cutting-room ground.
“Adam felt dangerous for having gotten me into it. I feel he felt like he wasted my time, and I made it clear to him, ‘Dude, that was not wasted time.’ It’s a problem-solving expertise that can get utilized to the whole lot I do going ahead,” Soderbergh stated.
“I’m not upset. I really feel constructive about the whole lot that we did collectively,” he added.
‘If It Was Gonna Occur, It Would Have Occurred’
In a separate interview with The Playlist, Soderbergh confirmed that the film was lifeless, saying, “Look, if it was gonna occur, it could have occurred.” He additionally reiterated that he didn’t really feel that the undertaking wasted his time.
“I don’t remorse one minute of the time we spent engaged on that,” he defined. “I felt the work was good. It’s simply good so that you can be in that room and dealing on it. It’s like CrossFit – it’s good for you. It’ll have a residual impact that might be surprising sooner or later.”
“As quickly because it turned obvious, OK, not gonna occur, I sat down and began writing [something else],” Soderbergh stated. “It’s like, ‘OK, new state of affairs, let’s get cracking.’ At a sure level, it’s like complaining in regards to the climate. You simply gotta hold shifting.”
Soderbergh Says The Story Concept Was Adam Driver’s Concept
Though it isn’t clear precisely what the film would have been about, Soderbergh revealed that the thought for the film truly got here from the actor.
“It was strictly Adam saying, ‘I feel there’s nonetheless someplace to go together with this character.’ That’s the way it began,” Soderbergh revealed. “In any other case, I by no means in 1,000,000 years would have discovered myself in that universe once more.”
However when requested if he would ever return to the undertaking once more, Soderbergh gave a quite simple: “Nope.”
Steven Soderbergh Is ‘Pissed off’ Over The Movie’s Cancellation
This isn’t the primary time that Soderbergh has addressed the movie’s cancellation. In a February 2026 interview with BK Mag, the director stated they have been “all annoyed” that the movie was scrapped earlier than they might even talk about a finances.
“, that was two and a half years of free work for me and Adam and [writer] Rebecca Blunt,” he defined. “When Adam and I mentioned him speaking about it publicly, I stated, ‘Look, don’t editorialize or speculate in regards to the why. Simply say what occurred, as a result of all we all know is what occurred.’ The said purpose was, ‘We don’t suppose Ben Solo could possibly be alive.’ And that was all we have been advised. And so there’s nothing to do about it, , besides transfer on.”
“I’d sort of made the film in my head, and simply felt dangerous that no one else was going to get to see it,” he continued. “I believed the dialog was strictly going to be a sensible one—the place they go, what is that this going to value? And I had a very good reply for that. But it surely by no means even received to that time. It’s insane. We’re all very upset.”
