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An actor Adam Driver he 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 redeemed Ben Solo in the series, which spanned “The Force Awakens,” 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” and 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” He also worked with the director Steven Soderbergh on a film focusing 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 10 years later?
It’s been more than a decade since “The Force Awakens” started the series in 2015. Although it was a box office hit, director Rian Johnson’s big moves in 2017’s “The Last Jedi” were controversial and split him. Although 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” has still turned a profit at the box office, many fans were still disappointed with dropped plot threads and inconsistent character throughout the trilogy.
Despite the controversy, Driver’s acting was consistently praised throughout the three films. Many felt that he, and the other actors involved, did the best 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 good job, but the real character was limited by terrible writing,” one fan said.
One example of the “horrible writing” was how Ben Solo was killed at the end of the trilogy. Luke Skywalker apparently had no children, and Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo only had one son, Ben Solo, so the Skywalker bloodline seemed to end after the events of the film. Rey calls herself “Rey Skywalker” at the end of the movie despite being Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter, which inspired more fans.
“Probably the only good thing that came out of the Disney Star Wars stuff. Driver is a great actor, and you knew he would bring something special to it. He did the best he could with what he had,” wrote another fan.
“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 scary,” said a third fan.
Not everyone thought the driver was right for the role
Unfortunately, not everyone liked Driver in the role. One user replied, “No,” and didn’t explain why they didn’t like the post.
Another user said that they liked him in “The Force Awakens,” but felt that he “got really stupid” by the end of the trilogy.
“I think if it had a better script and director it would have been great. They wrote the script of a nostalgic little guy and the main character (that Jedi girl … I can’t remember her name) as a strong brave girl,” said another user. “They changed what Vader and Luke were like. Star Wars ended with Return of the Jedi. Everything else is fake Star Wars.”
Another user felt that someone else would have been better in that role: “It was okay, I guess, but what I think was a missed casting opportunity to make the series a lot more watchable: Zachary Quinto.”
“No, it was one of the reasons that the series ruined Star Wars for me. Him and Rey. Adam Driver is an excellent actor but, even bad roles can not save the character he plays, and Kylo Ren was indeed a bad character and the Sith worse,” said another fan, which provoked a strong debate, although Kylo Ren was a user of the Dark Side Force, 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” was closed 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 took 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 Ben Solo live. And that was it.”
At Disney’s D23 event in August, Filoni was asked again about the axed movie. “We’re not doing that picture right now. That’s all I can say,” he said with a wave of the Jedi hand.
Later that same day, Deadline asked Filoni a similar question. “It’s not here. You can’t find it here,” Filoni said. “The Force is not with us in that respect. I love the love you feel for him.”
It remains to be seen if Driver will appear in the upcoming trilogy, rumored to continue the Skywalker Saga. Little has been revealed about the upcoming project, and it is unclear if it will appear Daisy Ridleyand return as Rey. Although she is expected to appear in some capacity, many expect the trilogy to focus on a new cast of characters.
