Adam Driver says Kylo Ren's big Rise of Skywalker twist wasn't always the original plan
Dec. 13, 2023Kylo Ren was supposed to have an arc that paralleled Darth Vader’s – but going the other way
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Adam Driver has revealed more about the original arc set for Kylo Ren – and, as it turns out, his big redemption inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerwas never the plan.
“I had an overall arc in mind that [JJ Abrams] wanted to do, which then changed, but his idea was almost the opposite journey of Vader,” Driver toldThe Rich Eisen Show. “Where Vader starts the most confident, the most committed to the dark side, and by the last movie he’s the most vulnerable and weak. And he wanted to start it the opposite, where this character was the most confused and vulnerable, and by the end of the three movies, would be most committed to the dark side. So I tried to keep that arc in mind, regardless if that wound up not being the journey anyway, because it changed, obviously.”
As for when that plan changed, Driver explained thatThe Last Jedialtered the trajectory of his character’s arc, then The Rise of Skywalker cemented that twist by shifting focus to the bond between Kylo Ren and Rey. “With Rian [Johnson, director], he took it into a different direction,” Driver revealed. “But [it] still tracked with the character. Then the last one, it changed into being about them, and the dyad, and things like that. And evolving into Ben Solo, that was never part of it. He was Ben Solo from the beginning, but it was never a version where we actually see Ben Solo when I first signed up for it.”
The redemption of Kylo Ren ended up being one of the most moving parts of the sequel trilogy – we dare you not to shed a tear when Ben sees his father Han Solo again on the wreckage of the Death Star – so we’re glad the plan shifted. Though, we have to admit, a fully dark side Kylo Renalsowould’ve been very cool.
Next up for Star Wars is Skeleton Crew and The Acolyte onDisneyPlus, though neither have release dates just yet. For everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store, check out our guide to all theupcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.
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I’m a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site’s Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.
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