It seems Kevin Feige has gotten used to Adam Driver telling him no.
During a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz, the Marvel Studios president revealed that Driver has turned down joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe so many times that it has become a “tradition.”
“It’s no secret we’d like to [work with Driver],” Feige said. “But it’s a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes. That’s a long-lived tradition. He couldn’t be more cordial. He is usually upfront about how he is feeling.”
The Marvel boss didn’t reveal which roles he’s pitched to Driver; however, rumors have been circulating on social media about the actor potentially boarding the big-screen reboot of the X-Men that’s currently in development. Marvel has yet to confirm any casting for the film, but The Hollywood Reporter reported last year that Jake Schreier was in talks to direct.
Though Driver has never shared why he keeps turning down opportunities to join the MCU, it likely wouldn’t be because they’re blockbuster films, as he’s had his fair share in those. Most notably, he played Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, including The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
In addition to other high-profile pics such as House of Gucci (2021), Ferrari (2023) and Megalopolis (2024), Driver likes to have a nice balance when it comes to his filmography, starring in plenty of indie films as well, including Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Paterson (2016), Marriage Story (2019) and the upcoming Paper Tiger.
Though Driver has no plans as of now to join the MCU, no matter how hard Feige tries, the actor is interested in stepping back into another blockbuster franchise: Star Wars. He had been working on a standalone Kylo Ren movie with director Steven Soderbergh, but Disney axed the film, despite it having Lucasfilm’s support.
