While promoting season 2 of “Beef,” Oscar Isaac answered questions about “The Hunt For Ben Solo.” The scrapped “Star Wars” movie was a passion project spearheaded by his “Star Wars” co-star, Adam Driver, and director Steven Soderbergh. Unfortunately, Driver’s character appeared to pass away at the end of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” and even though the pitch was approved by Lucasfilm, Disney execs shut down the project after they didn’t understand how Ben Solo could come back to life.
Why Was ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’ Scrapped?
In October 2025, Adam Driver told the Associated Press that he “always was interested” in doing another “Star Wars” film. After discussing his idea with Kathleen Kennedy, he and Soderbergh got to work on a script that was written by Scott Z. Burns.
The script was seemingly well-received by Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck, and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. The “Marriage Story” actor called it “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I had ever been a part of.”
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said. “We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”
Oscar Isaac Reveals What He Knew Of ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’
While promoting season 2 of “Beef,” Isaac appeared as a guest on Josh Horowitz’s “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast. While most of the interview addressed his role in the hit Netflix series, he was also asked a few questions about his “Star Wars” character: Resistance pilot and leader Poe Dameron.
While Isaac hinted that he was “maybe” open to reprising his role in a future movie, he revealed that he did not know anything about “The Hunt For Ben Solo” when the ill-fated script was brought up in conversation.
“No, I didn’t read it,” Isaac said. “I had nothing to do with it.”
Oscar Isaac Addresses The ‘Somehow, Palpatine Returned’ Line
Many fans thought it was odd that Bob Iger would turn down “The Hunt For Ben Solo” when numerous characters have been brought back from the dead before. Darth Maul, who was cut in half during “The Phantom Menace,” reappeared in several animated shows before getting his own animated series, “Maul – Shadow Lord,” which has received rave reviews.
Even in 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” Emperor Palpatine was brought back from the dead in order to serve as the film’s primary antagonist. Isaac delivered the line “Somehow, Palpatine returned” himself, which has been widely mocked across social media in the years following the film’s release.
When asked about that line, Isaac revealed that it was a late addition to the movie that was only added during reshoots. “Those were reshoots. We had to do reshoots. Those are those surgical strikes where you come in, and they are scrambling, trying to get everything going,” he said. “And I think that was a new addition at the end.” He also admitted he had no idea the line would become meme-worthy.
Isaac Reflects On The ‘Excitement’ Of Filming ‘Star Wars’
The sequel trilogy kicked off with 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” which hit theaters over ten years ago. Isaac said that his “favorite experience of doing the first one was wild” and recalled “so much excitement” on set because “everything was new.”
He talked about “becoming close with” director J.J. Abrams and meeting his costars, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. He also mentioned that he enjoyed “reuniting” with Adam Driver, as they had previously appeared in “Inside Llewyn Davis” together. “That was such an exciting moment,” Isaac recalled.
Oscar Isaac Had Nothing But Positive Things To Say About Rian Johnson
“The Force Awakens” was followed by 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” which proved to be the most divisive film in the sequel trilogy. While some fans loved the movie’s bold new direction, others felt that the story strayed too far from what Abrams had set up in “The Force Awakens.”
In response to the backlash, Isaac admitted that he grew up “with fans and geeks,” so he knew “how much ownership people feel over them.” But he admitted that he “loved” the experience of filming “The Last Jedi” with director Rian Johnson and getting the opportunity to meet him.
“He’s so laid back, so funny, and trying to make it his own. I loved Benicio being in it, too, stuttering,” Isaac said. “I really loved it, it was such an amazing experience.”
It remains to be seen if Isaac will ever reprise his role as Poe Dameron, but fans have speculated that he might make an appearance in Ryan Gosling‘s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which hits theaters in May 2027. The first “Star Wars” movie to hit theaters since “The Rise of Skywalker” will be “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” which is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026.