By
Jared Stewart
Published Jan 30, 2026, 8:34 PM EST
Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.
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Star Wars’ sequel trilogy is divisive, to say the least. It had terrific bones via Episode 7, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and brand-new characters Poe Dameron, Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren, but inconsistent character developments and a generally unappealing throughline, or lack of a proper throughline at all, were arguably to blame for how lackluster it is as a whole. That doesn’t mean it was all bad, though, and one diamond in the rough was Star Wars’ Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren had a lot of ‘will he, won’t he’ moments throughout Star Wars’ sequel trilogy, and that momentum carried him all the way toward a climactic ending in Episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker, where he finally turned away from the dark side, embraced his identity as Ben Solo, and died via self-sacrifice to save Rey on Exegol. If there was ever going to be a way to salvage what little good is in the sequel trilogy, it would surely be by reviving both Ben and Star Wars’ canceled Hunt for Ben Solo movie.
Kylo Ren’s Solo Movie is Canceled… for Good?
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker
A Star Wars movie called The Hunt for Ben Solo was reportedly in development that would have followed The Rise of Skywalker and had Ben come back from the dead somehow. Frankly, no matter how this would’ve been excused or explained, it seems like it would be the course correction that events of Star Wars’ sequel trilogy demand.
Ben Solo’s character development was cut short, and that might’ve been all well and good if not for Rey supposedly playing a significant role in Star Wars’ upcoming era. If true, it would make all the sense in the world to have Adam Driver reprise Ben alongside Daisy Ridley’s Rey, even if doing so would appear to be nothing but a shameless act of fan service.
As well as being fan service, it would also be an opportunity for Ben’s character to be fleshed out more meaningfully, perhaps with him actually able to grieve following the death of his parents (one of whom he murdered) and his Jedi Master. However, having this self-reflection depicted in a standalone movie could allow it to be succinct, without the movie having to juggle a bunch of other characters who are equally iconic or important.
Star Wars Can’t Ignore Its Sequel Trilogy
There’s a low likelihood that all of Star Wars’ sequel trilogy characters return in the future. Still, they’ve all become legacy characters themselves, and Rey appearing in an upcoming movie or trilogy cements the fact that anyone else could have a starring, supporting, or cameo role, too. Ben deserves more than a supporting or cameo role, though, and it could be tough for a movie that he and Rey share the screen in to give Ben as much time as he needs to explore who he is now in Star Wars’ contemporary era with nuance.
Rey truly is the key to all this, as it doesn’t make much sense why Ben couldn’t have a movie to himself if that same privilege was afforded to a legacy character like Rey, who now goes by the name Rey Skywalker and wields a lightsaber with a yellow-colored blade. If the idea was to distance the franchise from the sequel trilogy after how poorly it was received altogether, bringing Rey back as a legacy character mascot defeats that purpose.
Ben Solo is a Great New Legacy Character
Adam Driver as Ben Solo in Star Wars Rise of Skywalker
Taika Waititi’s upcoming Star Wars movie and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter have phenomenal potential. They’ve both been described as attempting to recapture the original trilogy’s bottled lightning, and it’ll be fascinating if either of these Star Wars projects has any effect on what direction the franchise takes in the future.
Star Wars: Starfighter’s Ryan Gosling and Aaron Pierre should not be wasted, for example, while David Corenswet has expressed a passionate interest in playing a Jedi or an X-Wing pilot.
So, with so many projects in the works already, The Hunt for Ben Solo may remain shelved indefinitely. In this case, it’s hard to guess whether Ben would be brought back at all.
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Explore Ben Solo's legacy and what it means for the saga - subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis, context, and thoughtful perspective on Kylo Ren and the sequel trilogy, plus how those threads might influence future Star Wars storytelling. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.A standalone movie could thoroughly and confidently justify how Ben has come back to life, whereas this occurring in the middle of another character’s Star Wars movie could muddy it and divert all attention toward Ben, anyway. The Hunt for Ben Solo would be great for myriad reasons. And, in giving Ben proper character development, especially beyond the maligned sequel trilogy’s episodes 7, 8, and 9, Star Wars could enter into a new era of redemption.
Ben redeemed himself by sacrificing himself, but a movie that reflects on his actions in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker could be Star Wars’ way of reflecting on the sequel trilogy and examining the bigger picture. Here, the franchise could move on from the sequel trilogy with grace, while maybe holding onto its best legacy characters and story beats to propel it forward, as that canon is obviously still intact and can’t be ignored by anything that succeeds it in Star Wars’ multigenerational timeline.
Star Wars
Created by
George Lucas
First Film
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s)
The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
Movie(s)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s)
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
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Star Wars
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