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Is Star Wars sequel villain Kylo Ren the new Deadpool?

Could a surge in fan interest revive Disney's canceled Kylo Ren movie, just like what happened with Ryan Reynolds's Deadpool?

An image of Kylo Ren in Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker
Image credit: Lucasfilm

We could've had a Steven Soderbergh Star Wars movie. I never would have thought I would ever type that sentence, but here we are! In recent weeks, Adam Driver, who played Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in the Star Wars sequel series, elaborated on the plans (and script!) that Steven Soderbergh had prepared for Disney execs. After the project was received warmly by Lucasfilm, it was shut down by Disney because Bob Iger and Alan Bergman "didn't see how Ben Solo was alive," according to Driver. 

But for a group of Star Wars fans, the "how" or "why" isn't so important. After all, Star Wars does have the line, "Somehow, Palpatine returned." As reported by Collider, there is now a billboard in Times Square that reads, "For Adam. No one's ever really gone. Hope lives. Ben is alive! #THBS," the hashtag referring to the title of Soderbergh's movie, The Hunt for Ben Solo. 

While we don't really know why Driver chose to divulge information about The Hunt for Ben Solo now, after the project was canned in 2021, we can speculate. Let's remember that Ryan Reynolds admitted last month that he leaked the Deadpool test footage online, which was then swept up in a wave of fan enthusiasm. In Reynolds's own terms, "24 hours later, that movie had a green light," citing how "the internet" practically gave Fox an offer they couldn't refuse. 

Obviously, we're in a different era than the first Deadpool movie. We're in an age of #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and Sonic fans being so repulsed by their beloved hedgehog's appearance in his live-action movie trailer that Paramount Pictures and director Jeff Fowler vowed to redesign the character, even pushing the movie's release date to ensure the speedster would pass the vibe check. Could a Ben Solo movie come to fruition from a single billboard? We'll have to wait and see. 


Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.

Jules Chin Greene

Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, and Multiverse of Color.

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