An actor Adam Driver he may have just caught a glimpse of Disney while at the London premiere of James Gray’s “Paper Tiger.” The film, which could earn him a third Oscar nomination, made a strong debut at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. While speaking to reporters on the red carpet, the actor, who previously played Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in the “Star Wars” series, said he felt more comfortable on smaller sets where he didn’t have to worry about “making movies by committee.”
The ‘Star Wars’ Sequel trilogy was criticized for its lack of clarity
Adam Driver played Kylo Ren, and then the redeemed Ben Solo, in 2015’s “The Force Awakens”, “The Last Jedi” in 2017, and “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019. The sequel trilogy has been widely criticized for not having a clear story.
Lucasfilm originally tapped three different directors to helm each film: JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson, and Colin Trevorrow. However, Lucasfilm parted ways with Trevorrow after the controversial performance of “The Last Jedi,” and Abrams returned to finish the final film.
Many felt that while Johnson eliminated many of the “mystery boxes” Abrams set up in “The Force Awakens” (such as killing off Captain Phasma and Supreme Leader Snoke), Abrams then tried the plot threads Johnson set up in “The Last Jedi” (such as making Rey the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine instead of Emperor Palpatine).
Adam Driver Says ‘He’s Not Doing Well’ on ‘Bigger Budget’ Film Sets
Speaking to a reporter on the red carpet at the London premiere of “Paper Tiger” on Oct. 10, Driver said he was “not doing well” in terms of “making movies by committee.”
“When it’s a bigger budget, sometimes it goes into filmmaking by committee,” Driver said in a video posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “And I just don’t do well in those atmospheres.”
One fan commented on the video, asking, “Who – or who – would have made such a comment?” His comments could be directed at Disney, who previously shut down “The Hunt for Ben Solo.”
What happened to ‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’?
In October 2025, Driver revealed that he and director Steven Soderbergh had been working on a “Star Wars” movie set after the events of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” Although Ben Solo died at the end of the movie, thus killing everyone with the Skywalker bloodline, Driver had the idea to bring him back.
“I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen (Kennedy) had reached out. I always said: With a great director and a great story, I’d be there in a second.
Soderbergh and Rebecca Blunt pitched a story that the group then pitched to Kennedy, Lucasfilm vice president Cary Beck, and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni. Scott Z. Burns wrote what Driver called “one of the coolest (expletive) scripts I’ve ever been in.”
“We took the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it,” explained Driver. “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 it.”
Adam Driver is still working with Disney
Even though fans may be disappointed that he is not returning to a galaxy far, far away, it seems that Driver is still open to working with Disney despite his comments at the premiere of “Paper Tiger” on October 10.
In August 2026, Driver appeared on video at Disney’s D23 event to announce that he was finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Weeks after Kevin Feige joking that it had become a “tradition” for Driver to turn down roles in the MCU, Driver revealed that he would be playing Mister Sinister in the “X-Men” reboot. The film will release on May 5, 2028.
Meanwhile, “Star Wars” fans are still hopeful that Ben Solo could appear in the next trilogy, but judging by Driver’s recent comments, it is unlikely.