Disney Has Now Abandoned 6 Star Wars Projects, Including Adam Driver’s Ben Solo Movie

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The cancellation of Adam Driver’s planned solo Star Wars movie is just the latest example of projects being shelved at Lucasfilm. Since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, the studio has been consistently working to create new Star Wars content. This effort began in 2015 with The Force Awakens, which launched a new series of sequels. However, numerous other Star Wars projects haven’t made it past the planning stage.

A recently revealed project involved a continuation of the story begun in the sequel trilogy, focusing on Adam Driver’s character, Ben Solo (formerly Kylo Ren). Driver recently told the Associated Press he’d be willing to reprise the role and had supported a film called The Hunt for Ben Solo. While the script was written and approved by Lucasfilm, Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman ultimately rejected the idea.

I worked on a project called ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ which was really exciting. But it was cancelled, so I can now discuss it. We pitched the idea to Lucasfilm, and they were enthusiastic about it, fully grasping our vision. We then presented it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, but they rejected it, as they didn’t believe Ben Solo could still be alive. That ended the project.

The potential return of the character played by Adam Driver is unexpected, given that his character, Ben Solo, seemingly died at the end of The Rise of Skywalker. However, Star Wars has a history of bringing characters back from the dead, as seen with Darth Maul and Emperor Palpatine. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was a popular character, and many fans were upset when plans for a spin-off film centered around him were cancelled. Still, this isn’t the first Star Wars project to be shelved since Disney acquired Lucasfilm.

Other Star Wars Projects Canceled By Disney

Rangers of the New Republic

After the popularity of The Mandalorian on Disney+, Disney planned a spin-off series called Rangers of the New Republic. It would have featured Gina Carano reprising her role as Cara Dune, and was set to be produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.

The show was canceled after Disney fired Carano, and in 2022, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy announced that Rangers of the New Republic would no longer be made. Instead, its planned story elements would be incorporated into future seasons of The Mandalorian.

Rogue Squadron

As a huge movie fan, I remember when Patty Jenkins – the director of Wonder Woman – was announced to be doing a Star Wars film, Rogue Squadron, back in 2020. It was supposed to be this really cool, *Top Gunstyle story following a new group of Rebel pilots. They even put out a quick teaser video that looked awesome and initially planned for a Christmas 2023 release. But honestly, it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride for the project ever since – lots of uncertainty behind the scenes.

The project faced delays because of Jenkins’ work on other commitments. In 2022, it was confirmed she had a new contract with Lucasfilm to continue the film, but it was later reported, in 2023, that the project was canceled.

Even though director Patty Jenkins reportedly signed a new contract in 2024 to work on the film, its future is still uncertain. Lucasfilm has several movies planned for the next few years, and Jenkins’ project could be among them. However, Rogue Squadron keeps moving back and forth between active development and being put on hold.

Jabba the Hutt Movie

You won’t believe this, but there was a whole movie planned about Jabba the Hutt’s backstory! Apparently, Lucasfilm actually considered it a few years ago, and they even had Guillermo del Toro lined up to direct. David S. Goyer wrote the script, and they even got some concept art done, but for whatever reason, the project just never took off. It’s a shame, honestly – I would have been fascinated to see how Jabba became the kingpin we all know and… dislike!

According to screenwriter David Goyer, a lot of internal issues at Lucasfilm caused the cancellation of Guillermo del Toro’s planned Star Wars movie. Many fans were excited about del Toro’s vision for the film, making its cancellation particularly frustrating.

David Benioff & D.B. Weiss’ Star Wars Trilogy

After finishing Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were planning to create a new Star Wars trilogy. Many fans were excited to see what the creators of the fantasy series would do with the famous science fiction franchise.

The creative team behind the project has left Lucasfilm, likely because of scheduling conflicts and their current work on the Netflix series, 3 Body Problem.

I remember reading an interview with Benioff after their Star Wars plans fell through, and it was fascinating. He said their pitch actually focused on the very beginnings of the Jedi – how they started. Apparently, Lucasfilm just wasn’t interested in going down that road, and that’s ultimately why the whole project was scrapped. It’s a shame, because it sounded like a really interesting take!

Lucasfilm ultimately decided against the story we proposed for the first Jedi film. We had a clear vision, but they went in a different direction, which we understand – it’s their property, and they had a specific idea in mind. It just wasn’t a good fit for what they were looking for.

Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Film

Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, almost transitioned to working on Star Wars projects, but the plans ultimately fell through. While Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, has stated there was never a firm agreement, reports suggest a movie was indeed being developed with Feige as a producer. Loki writer Michael Waldron was even brought on board at one point to write the screenplay.

Reports in 2023 indicated that Kevin Feige’s planned Star Wars movie was scrapped, as he’s continuing to prioritize Marvel Studios. Though this likely benefits the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many fans were excited to see what he would have done with the Star Wars franchise and are understandably disappointed.

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2025-10-23 20:36