Disney Cancels David Fincher’s Star Wars Project
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, following Adam Driver’s recent revelation that Disney rejected The Hunt for Ben Solo, a Star Wars film by Steven Soderbergh, journalist Jeff Sneider has reported that David Fincher had also entered talks with Lucasfilm for a separate Star Wars project — but ultimately walked away after refusing the studio’s conditions.
The report states that Disney and Lucasfilm had initially approached Fincher to direct Star Wars: Episode IX. However, when negotiations fell through, the directing duties for the final chapter of the sequel trilogy went to J.J. Abrams. Fincher later showed interest in another Star Wars film and even reached preliminary agreements regarding budget and story, but the studio refused to grant him final cut approval.
In his recent interview with Associated Press, Adam Driver described Soderbergh’s script as “one of the most fascinating screenplays I’ve ever read”:
“We gave the script to Lucasfilm. They liked it. They understood our vision and why we wanted to make it. We even took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman — and they rejected it. They just couldn’t grasp how Ben Solo could still be alive. And that was it.”
As a result, instead of Star Wars films directed by Fincher or Soderbergh, fans will next see a movie directed by Shawn Levy, currently known for Deadpool & Wolverine. Disney and Lucasfilm are now focusing on The Mandalorian and Grogu — a spin-off of The Mandalorian starring Pedro Pascal — scheduled for release on May 22, 2026. Another project, Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, is set for release on May 28, 2027.
Following Driver’s interview, Collider reported that a group of Star Wars fans flew a banner reading “Save The Hunt for Ben Solo” over Disney Studios in California.
A few years ago, Fincher told Total Film:
“There are really only two seasons for movies — the Spandex summer and the bleak winter. You’ve got to make your film for one of those two. Miss them, and you end up in the other two seasons — the garbage dump. Makes sense? I’m not just a tired bastard. I’m a tired and self-aware bastard.”
