Adam Driver turned down so many MCU movie offers that now ‘it’s a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes,’ says Marvel Studios president

It has become a regular occurrence for Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to hop on a video call with Adam Driver, only to have the actor turn down yet another role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige shared this interesting tidbit during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, as reported by Variety, noting that these rejections have essentially turned into a recurring event.

It is honestly pretty funny to think about this routine. Feige mentioned, “It’s no secret we’d like to [work with Adam].” He added, “But it’s a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes. That’s a long-lived tradition. He couldn’t be more cordial. He is usually upfront about how he is feeling.” Even though it is clear the studio keeps trying to bring him into the fold, it sounds like Driver remains very selective about the projects he chooses to take on.

You might be wondering which specific characters Marvel has tried to get him to play, but Feige kept those details under wraps during the conversation. There has been a lot of chatter lately on social media suggesting that Driver is being eyed for the role of Magneto in the upcoming X-Men reboot. However, Feige clarified on the podcast that no casting decisions for the X-Men film have been finalized yet.

It is not hard to see why Driver might be hesitant to jump into another massive superhero franchise

Driver already played a huge part in the Star Wars universe as Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo, across three films. That is a heavy commitment for any actor, and moving from one massive cinematic universe to another is a big step.

Interestingly, Driver actually wanted to return to the Star Wars galaxy, but not in the way fans might expect. He shared with the AP in October that he spent time developing a standalone project titled The Hunt for Ben Solo alongside director Steven Soderbergh. He seemed genuinely excited about the possibility of exploring that character further.

“I always was interested in doing another ‘Star Wars,’” Driver said. “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.’ I loved that character and loved playing him.”

It sounds like the pitch had some potential, as Lucasfilm appeared to be on board with the initial concept. Driver noted that they presented the script to the studio, and the team there understood the angle they were taking. However, the project hit a wall when it moved up the chain of command.

“We presented the script to Lucasfilm. They loved the idea. They totally understood our angle and why we were doing it. 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,” Driver explained.

It is a shame for fans who were hoping to see more of Ben Solo, but it gives some insight into why Driver is so careful with his career moves. He clearly values specific creative visions, and if a project does not align with his goals, he is comfortable walking away. For now, it seems the tradition of him politely passing on Marvel roles will continue, regardless of what the internet might be dreaming up.