According to Adam Driver, his time in the Star Wars universe has come to an end. Driver first brought the villainous Kylo Ren to life in 2015's Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, following in Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine's footsteps throughout his time under Disney in the sequel trilogy. He even became one of the most well-received parts of these otherwise rough movies, leaving many wondering if and when he may return to action.
Adam Driver confirmed that he is officially done playing Kylo Ren in Lucasfilm's Star Wars movies. Speaking with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show, Driver was asked whether he felt he was done with the role, and he plainly stated, "It's over." He went on to reveal that he "tried to do one more" movie with Disney and Lucasfilm with director Steven Soderbergh (who recently agreed to help finish filming for The Batman — Part II), but the studios made it clear that his complicated Force-wielding antagonist was dead:
"It's over. No more Star Wars. We tried. We tried to do one more, but they were like, no, he's dead. Soderbergh was going to do it, Steven Soderbergh. We worked on it for a few years, really, and earnestly for two years…It was awesome. It was really cool. But, you know, I don't get to decide."
In total, Driver played Kylo Ren in all three movies from Star Wars' sequel trilogy, starting with The Force Awakens before moving on to 2017's Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi and 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. Unfortunately, during the final battle of The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren used healing techniques given to him by the Force to bring Rey Skywalker back to life after she used the power of past Jedi to take down the revived Emperor Palpatine on Exegol.
This also marks a change from comments Driver made in 2023 about returning to the role, as he previously noted that he was open to donning the dark robes and lightsaber again. Back then, he explained that he was "totally not against" the idea of reprising Kylo Ren, sharing that his biggest thing there would be the chance to work "with great filmmakers" on the character.
While Driver seemingly spent years working on a way to bring his character back into the Star Wars universe, he has now moved past the idea and will push forward into new endeavors. This likely would have come to fruition in a rumored Hunt for Ben Solo movie, which would have shown more of his origins before his turn to the Dark Side, but it never moved past the early development stages.
How Star Wars Moves Forward Without Kylo Ren
Moving forward, Lucasfilm is reportedly developing a new Star Wars movie, believed to be Episode X and the first in a new trilogy under Simon Kinberg. Many expect this movie to focus on a new crop of Jedi, although Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker is also rumored to play a supporting mentor-type role after her run in the sequel trilogy.
This new movie could have found room to bring Driver back, as Star Wars has proven it can bring people back from the "dead" on more than one occasion. However, now, the story will likely move on to a different villain, although it could have ties back to Kylo, the way Kylo did to Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in the sequel trilogy.
As for Driver, he has another new franchise on his plate, as he was announced to play Nathaniel Essex/Mr. Sinister for Marvel Studios in the MCU's first X-Men movie, which hits theaters in May 2028. While working with Disney could help him keep his options open for a Star Wars return down the road, he seems sure that he is ready to move past his time in the galaxy far, far away.
Even so, there is no way to say this will be a permanent decision, particularly with Dave Filoni taking over Kathleen Kennedy's role as Lucasfilm's top executive. After multiple successful streaming series (animated and live-action), he could have an idea later down the road for how to bring Kylo Ren back in a way that works for everybody involved, Driver included.
