The Star Wars franchise entered a new era in 2015 with the release of The Force Awakens, which marked the start of the sequel trilogy. It was a massive commercial success and received mostly positive reviews. The movie also introduced actor Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, the grandson of Darth Vader.
During an interview, Driver reflected on his time in the galaxy far, far away. When asked whether he would return for any future installments, Driver quickly turned down the possibility. Instead, the actor highlighted the arc he originally wanted for Kylo Ren, and here is what Driver had to say.
Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver admits he is done with the Star Wars franchise
Actor Adam Driver first appeared as Kylo Ren in 2015’s The Force Awakens, which kickstarted the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Ren was positioned as the primary villain of the sequels and appeared in all three installments. However, Driver admitted in a podcast that he has no intention to reprise the role.
During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, Driver was asked about his time in the galaxy far, far away. The actor revealed that he was aware of a follow-up installment set after the sequel trilogy being in development. However, he confirmed that he would not be appearing in it.
Driver stated the following regarding his future in the epic space opera franchise:
They’re doing stuff, but not with me. I’m not doing any more.
The Marriage Story actor was most likely referring to the Daisy Ridley-led movie that has been in development at Lucasfilm for the past few years. However, Driver revealed that he was exhausted from working on the sequels and never quite figured out how to work on that scale of production.
Adam Driver reveals the original arc for Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequels
From Driver’s words, it is safe to assume that the actor is done with the role of Kylo Ren and won’t appear in future installments. Driver’s decision also makes sense, considering his character sacrificed himself to save Rey in the final installment, thereby completing his redemption arc.
However, Ben Solo’s denouncing of the Kylo Ren mantle and returning to the light side was never the original plan for the character. Instead, Kylo Ren’s arc was supposed to be a mirror of Darth Vader’s arc in the original trilogy.
The actor opened up about the initial plans for the character in an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. In the podcast appearance, the actor explained that J.J. Abrams had a different plan for Kylo Ren, stating:
His idea was that [Kylo’s] journey was the opposite journey of Vader, where Vader starts the most confident and the most committed to the dark side. And then by the last movie, he’s the most vulnerable and weak.
Driver added that Abrams wanted the character to start confused and vulnerable. However, Ren would’ve become more committed to the dark side with each passing installment, giving him an arc that would’ve directly mirrored that of Darth Vader in the original trilogy.
The Star Wars movies and TV shows are streaming on Disney+ (USA).
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