Kevin Feige says Adam Driver repeatedly passes on Marvel roles: 'It's a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes'

Feige's candid podcast remarks

On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige acknowledged the studio's long-running pursuit of Adam Driver. "It's no secret we'd like to [work with Driver]," Feige said. "But it's a tradition to Zoom with him, and then he passes. That's a long-lived tradition." Feige added that Driver "couldn't be more cordial" and is "usually upfront about how he is feeling." The comments come as social media buzzes with speculation that Driver is being courted for a role in the upcoming X-Men reboot.

It's no secret we'd like to [work with Driver]. But it's a tradition to Zoom with him, and then he passes. That's a long-lived tradition.

The X-Men reboot and casting rumors

Marvel is preparing to introduce a new generation of X-Men actors after Avengers: Doomsday bids farewell to the Fox-era mutants, all now under the Disney umbrella following the 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Jake Schreier is set to direct the reboot from a script by Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo. Rumors have linked Driver to roles including Magneto, William Stryker, and Mister Sinister, but Feige stressed on the podcast that no casting decisions have been made. Schreier, reflecting on his experience with Thunderbolts*, told Empire in 2025 that balancing action with emotional, character-driven scenes was his biggest learning curve.

Driver's selective approach to franchises

Driver already anchored one mega-franchise as Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in three Star Wars films, which may explain his selectivity. The Oscar nominee has not disclosed which Marvel roles he has passed on. His willingness to engage in conversations, however, suggests the door remains open. Feige's description of the pattern as a "long-lived tradition" indicates the studio has approached Driver multiple times over several years.

The Star Wars sequel that never was

Driver revealed last fall that he had worked with director Steven Soderbergh on a sequel titled The Hunt for Ben Solo. "I always was interested in doing another Star Wars," Driver told the AP. "I had been talking about doing another one since 2021. Kathleen [Kennedy] had reached out." The script was presented to Lucasfilm, which loved the idea, but Disney executives Bob Iger and Alan Bergman ultimately rejected it. "They didn't see how Ben Solo was alive," Driver said. "And that was that."

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.