Ten years. It’s been more than a decade since that first trailer for The Force Awakens dropped, showing a broad-shouldered figure in a snowy forest igniting a crackling, unstable red crossguard blade. People went nuts. But looking back from 2026, the conversation around Adam Driver and Kylo Ren has shifted from "who is this guy?" to a deep respect for one of the most physically demanding and psychologically layered performances in modern franchise history.
Honestly, the sequels are divisive. We know this. You can't mention the words "Star Wars" at a dinner party without someone bringing up the "Holdo Maneuver" or the return of Palpatine. But through all the online bickering and the shifting creative directions of the trilogy, Adam Driver remained the undeniable anchor. He didn't just play a villain; he played a guy trying—and often failing—to be one.
The Secret Arc: What Adam Driver Actually Signed Up For
Here is something that kinda changes how you view the movies: Adam Driver didn't sign up for a redemption story.
In late 2023 and throughout 2024, Driver started opening up more about his original conversations with J.J. Abrams. Basically, the plan was the total opposite of Darth Vader. While Vader starts as this ultimate, terrifying presence and slowly becomes vulnerable and human by the end of Return of the Jedi, Kylo Ren was supposed to start vulnerable and confused, only to become more committed to the Dark Side with every movie.
"He was the most confused and vulnerable at the start," Driver told the Rich Eisen Show, "and by the end, he would be the most committed to the Dark Side."
👉 See also: Cuatro estaciones en la Habana: Why this Noir Masterpiece is Still the Best Way to See Cuba
But then production happened. Rian Johnson took things in a different direction in The Last Jedi—which Driver said still "tracked" with the character—but by the time The Rise of Skywalker rolled around, the "Dyad" and the redemption into Ben Solo became the focus. Driver has been a total pro about it, but he's admitted that seeing Ben Solo on screen wasn't part of the original pitch. It makes those final scenes, where he has zero lines of dialogue as Ben Solo, even more fascinating. He had to convey a total soul-shift using nothing but his face and how he carried his body.
Why the Lightsaber Fighting Looked So Different
You’ve probably noticed that Kylo Ren doesn’t fight like a prequel-era Jedi. There are no flashy, weightless spins or "I'll try spinning, that's a good trick" vibes. Adam Driver approached the combat like a guy swinging a heavy, medieval broadsword.
He worked closely with the stunt teams to make sure the fighting felt "ragged." That crossguard saber wasn't just a design choice; it was a reflection of the character’s internal mess. It splutters. It sparks. It looks like it might explode in his hand. Driver mirrored this by making his movements heavy and brutal. When he hits something, he hits it with the weight of a guy who is genuinely angry, not a choreographed dancer.
There’s this specific moment in The Last Jedi—the Praetorian Guard fight—where he isn't doing perfect backflips. He’s stumbling, grimacing, and looking over his shoulder. He looks like he’s fighting to stay alive, not fighting to look cool. That’s the "Marine" background in Driver coming out. He knows what physical struggle looks like, and he brought that grounded reality to a movie about space wizards.
✨ Don't miss: Cry Havoc: Why Jack Carr Just Changed the Reece-verse Forever
The "Hunt for Ben Solo" Movie That Almost Happened
In late 2025, a bombshell dropped that sent the Star Wars corner of the internet into a frenzy. It turns out Adam Driver actually pitched a standalone movie to Lucasfilm.
Working with Steven Soderbergh (the guy who did Logan Lucky and Ocean's Eleven), Driver outlined a story called The Hunt for Ben Solo. The idea was to explore the character's "unfinished business" and potentially find a way to bridge the gap left by his death in Episode IX. Scott Z. Burns even wrote a script that Driver described as "one of the coolest scripts" he’d ever read.
So, why don't we have it? Disney CEO Bob Iger reportedly passed on it. The sticking point was the ending of The Rise of Skywalker—Disney felt they couldn't justify how Ben Solo would still be alive after fading into the Force. It’s one of those "what if" scenarios that fans are still mourning in 2026. Can you imagine a Soderbergh-directed, character-driven Star Wars movie? It would have been wildly different from anything else in the franchise.
A Legacy of "Acting the Hell Out of It"
People often say that the actors were the best part of the sequels, and it’s hard to argue with that. Whether you loved the plot or hated it, Driver’s commitment was legendary. He stayed in character on set, often keeping his mask on or staying isolated to maintain that sense of "otherness" Kylo Ren felt.
🔗 Read more: Colin Macrae Below Deck: Why the Fan-Favorite Engineer Finally Walked Away
He didn't want to be "cool" or "likable." He was okay with Kylo being a "whiny" enfant terrible because that was the truth of the character—a kid with too much power and not enough emotional maturity to handle it.
Actionable Insights for the Star Wars Completionist:
If you’re looking to revisit the Adam Driver Kylo Ren era, don’t just re-watch the movies. To really "get" what he was doing, check out these specific deep-dive materials:
- Watch the Rich Eisen Show Interview (2023): This is where Driver finally breaks down the "Vader in reverse" arc that never fully manifested.
- The Charles Soule Comics: Read The Rise of Kylo Ren comic miniseries. It fills in the gaps between Luke’s temple and The Force Awakens, showing how much of a tragedy the character's fall really was.
- Physicality Study: Rewatch the Han Solo bridge scene in The Force Awakens but mute the audio. Just watch Driver’s micro-expressions. The way his face shifts from "terrifying mask" to "scared kid" is a masterclass in non-verbal storytelling.
The reality is that we probably won't see Ben Solo again on the big screen anytime soon, given Disney's current focus on the "New Jedi Order" era with Rey. But Driver’s performance set a new bar for what a blockbuster villain can be: messy, human, and hauntingly real.
If you're looking for more behind-the-scenes context, your best bet is to look for the "making of" documentaries for The Last Jedi specifically, as they show the most raw footage of Driver's process on set. No matter where the franchise goes next, that crossguard saber is going to cast a very long shadow.