Actor Adam Driver may be joining Marvel’s “X-Men” reboot, but he will forever be known for his role in the “Star Wars” franchise. The “Girls” alum played First Order enforcer Kylo Ren and the redeemed Ben Solo in the sequel trilogy, which spanned 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” and 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” He also worked with director Steven Soderbergh on a movie focused on Ben Solo after his death, but Disney executives shot it down after Lucasfilm greenlit it. That project, called “The Hunt for Ben Solo,” launched a fan campaign calling for his return.
How Do People Feel About Adam Driver’s ‘Star Wars’ Role About 10 Years Later?
It’s been over ten years since 2015’s “The Force Awakens” kickstarted the sequel trilogy. Although it was a box-office hit, director Rian Johnson‘s big swings in 2017’s “The Last Jedi” proved controversial and split the fandom. Although 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” still turned a profit at the box office, many fans were still disappointed by dropped plot threads and inconsistent characterization throughout the trilogy.
Despite the controversy, Driver’s acting was consistently praised throughout all three films. Many felt that he, along with the other actors involved, did the best that they could with a bad script.
What ‘Star Wars’ Fans Have To Say Now
On October 7, a “Star Wars” fan account asked, “Did you like Adam Driver as Kylo Ren?”
“He did a great job, but the actual character was limited by terrible writing,” one fan commented.
One example of the “terrible writing” was how Ben Solo was killed off at the end of the trilogy. Luke Skywalker seemingly had no children, and Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo had only one son, Ben Solo, so the entire Skywalker bloodline seemed to end after the events of the movie. Rey labels herself “Rey Skywalker” at the end of the film despite being Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter, which further fueled fan ire.
“He was possibly the only good thing to come out of the Disney Star Wars stuff. Driver is a great actor, and you knew he’d bring something special to it. He did the best he could with what he had,” another follower wrote.
“That was the first time I ever saw Adam Driver. Some people thought when he took his helmet off to reveal an emo dude, it was funny. I actually thought it was terrifying,” a third fan chimed in. “A kid like that has been bullied, and that makes him very dangerous. Overall, as bad as the sequels were, Driver was a highlight.”
Not Everyone Thought Driver Was Right For The Role
Unfortunately, not everyone liked Driver in the role. One user replied, “No,” and didn’t elaborate on why they didn’t like him in the role.
Another user said they liked him in “The Force Awakens,” but felt he had “become whiny” by the end of the trilogy.
“I think if he had a better script and director he would have been great. They wrote the script of a whiny little man and the protagonist (that girl Jedi…I don’t remember her name) as a strong heroic boss girl,” another user shared. “They flipped-flopped what Vader and Luke were like. Star Wars ended with the Return of the Jedi. Everything else is fake Star Wars.”
Another user felt someone else would have been better in that role: “He was okay, I suppose, but what I think was a missed casting opportunity might have made the sequels much more watchable would have been: Zachary Quinto.”
“No, he was one of the reasons the sequels ruined Star Wars for me. Him and Rey. Adam Driver is an excellent actor but, even bad roles can’t save the character he plays, and Kylo Ren was in fact a bad character and a worse Sith,” another fan added, which then sparked a heated debate that, although Kylo Ren was a Dark Side Force user, he was not technically a Sith.
Adam Driver Wanted To Return Before Disney Execs Shut Down ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’
In October 2025, Driver told the Associated Press that “The Hunt for Ben Solo” had been shut down before the public even knew it existed. Driver, Soderbergh, and Rebecca Blunt created a story that was then pitched to Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck, and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. Scott Z. Burns wrote the script.
“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” Driver said at the time. “We took it to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, and they said no. They didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that.”
At Disney’s D23 event in August, Filoni was again asked about the axed film. “We’re not making that picture right now. That’s all I can say,” he said with a Jedi hand wave.
Later that same day, Deadline asked Filoni a similar question. “It’s not here. You won’t find it here,” Filoni said. “The Force is not with us in that regard. I love the love you feel for it.”
It remains to be seen whether Driver will appear in the upcoming trilogy, rumored to continue the Skywalker Saga. Little has been revealed about the upcoming project, and it remains unclear whether it will feature Daisy Ridley‘s return as Rey. Although she is expected to appear in some capacity, many expect the trilogy to focus on a brand new cast of characters.
