Steven Soderbergh looks back on his Star Wars film: “It wasn’t a waste of time”
“I know that what we found was good,” assures the filmmaker, who regrets nothing.
He will never go to the Galaxy Far Far Away. But he has no regrets.
Steven Soderbergh returns to Variety on his aborted Star Wars project, entitled The Hunt for Ben Soloand on what he remembers today with a little hindsight:
“I am convinced that creative time is never wasted time. It was great working on this project with Adam Driver and writers Rebecca Blunt and Scott Burns. Sometimes that’s how things happen in Hollywood…“
The director explains that he took real pleasure in working on this project, and remains convinced of its potential:
‘”I know what we found was good. I think it would have excited the public.”
No frustration then, but a very pragmatic philosophy: each project, even aborted, is a step, an additional experience for a filmmaker:
“Working with smart people, trying to solve problems, that’s how you grow. Adam felt bad for dragging me into this. He thought I was wasting my time. But I wasn’t. I told him straight, ‘Man, it wasn’t wasted time.’ It’s an experience that will serve me well for everything I do in the future. I’m not upset. I am very satisfied with everything we have accomplished together.”
The existence of the project was revealed in October 2025 by Driver himself, who explained that he had been developing this return since 2021 after being contacted by Kathleen Kennedy. The actor said he was ready to dive again Star Wars “in a second” with the right director and the right story. This won’t happen.
