Adam Driver is unlikely to return to Star Wars as Kylo Ren, as it appears the actor is done with the franchise. Speaking on the podcast SmartLess, the actor made it pretty clear that he has no intention of heading back to the mega-franchise, though plenty of actors have said that before, only to go back on their word.
Driver made his debut in the first film of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as Kylo Ren, a.k.a Ben Solo—son of General Leia Organa and Han Solo, and grandson of Darth Vader. Kylo Ren was the main antagonist of the first film, a young man torn between the light and the dark with horrific anger management issues.
Despite his many evil deeds, including killing his own father, Kylo does have somewhat of a redemption arc, joining Rey against Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and then sacrificing himself to save her. Though the sequel trilogy may have left certain (unpleasable) fans irate, and it has been widely debated since the final installment was released, no one can fault Driver’s acting chops.
The Star Wars world, much like the galaxy itself, is ever expanding, with a steady stream of new series on Disney+ and a slew of films (supposedly) on the way, one of which will focus purely on Daisy Ridley’s character Rey—but it appears Driver will not be a part of them. Chatting with actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes on their podcast SmartLess, the conversation quickly turned to his time in the franchise.
The actor discussed how the final arc for his character changed significantly from what it was when he agreed to join:
“How it was pitched to me, again none of this was written, but that his journey was supposed to be the opposite of Vader’s in that he starts the most, as opposed to someone who’s the most dark from the beginning and then by the end of the series becomes the most vulnerable, that he starts the most vulnerable and that little by little more committed to the dark side.”
Obviously, the opposite happens, and Kylo Ren softens throughout the films—just like his grandfather, he sacrifices himself for the hero. When the question of whether he would head back or be involved in more series arose, Driver’s response was, “They’re doing stuff, but not with me. I’m not doing any more.” When he was asked, “Are you done with the character?” he responded with a resounding yes.
Other actors have said this in the past, including Harrison Ford and Liam Neesom, both of whom returned to the big and small screens in their respective roles as Han Solo and Qui-Gon Jinn. Driver has moved on to work on a slew of fantastic projects, with Marriage Story and BlacKkKlansman seeing the actor receive nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Though we won’t see him in Star Wars anytime soon, perhaps, much like his fellow Star Wars actors, he will return as unexpectedly as Palpatine did.
(via Smartless, featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
