Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed this week that Adam Driver has repeatedly turned down chances to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, describing the pattern as a running joke between the two of them by now.
Feige made the comments during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz. Asked directly about persistent rumors linking Driver to Marvel, Feige didn’t deny the studio’s interest. “It’s no secret that we’d love to work with Driver,” he said, as reported by Deadline.
What follows, Feige said, has become a familiar routine. “It’s a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes,” he told Horowitz, calling it a “long-lived tradition,” per The Hollywood Reporter. He was quick to add that Driver has always been gracious about it, saying the actor is upfront about his reasoning every time.
Pressed on how often this has actually played out, Feige didn’t offer a number but didn’t minimize it either, describing the volume of past conversations as “many, many, many,” according to GeekTyrant.
The comments arrive amid a fresh round of online speculation tying Driver to Marvel’s in-development X-Men reboot. Fans have floated him for roles including Magneto, William Stryker, and Mister Sinister, though Variety reports Feige stopped short of confirming any casting has been finalized. The reboot is being directed by Jake Schreier, from a script by Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo.
This isn’t the first Marvel role Driver has reportedly walked away from. According to World of Reel, he was previously in consideration to play Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps before the part went to Pedro Pascal.
Driver wasn’t the only name discussed. TheWrap reports Horowitz also asked Feige about Ryan Gosling and Cynthia Erivo, both of whom have said publicly they’d welcome roles as Ghost Rider and Storm. Feige again declined to confirm anything, but didn’t rule it out either.
Outside reporting suggests Driver’s reluctance fits a broader career pattern. Parade notes he spent close to a decade playing Kylo Ren across three Star Wars films and has generally favored director-driven projects over studio tentpoles since. FandomWire adds that Driver has remained more vocal about wanting to return to Star Wars, including a since-scrapped Kylo Ren spinoff he developed with director Steven Soderbergh that Disney ultimately passed on.
No Marvel casting involving Driver has been announced, and Feige’s comments suggest the studio has no immediate plans to end the streak — even as it keeps trying.
