‘Deadpool 3’ Director Shawn Levy Gives Update On His Star Wars Film, Responds To Question About Adam Driver Returning As Kylo Ren
John F. Trent
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Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy shared an update on his Star Wars film and addressed a rumor that Adam Driver will reprise his role as Kylo Ren in the film.
Taika Waititi and director Shawn Levy on the set of 20th Century Studios’ FREE GUY. Photo by Alan Markfield. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
It was reported back in November 2022 that Levy was working on a Star Wars film. Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. and Justin Kroll stated, “Deadline can reveal that Shawn Levy is in talks to come aboard to develop to direct a Star Wars film.”
The report also indicated that Levy would take on Star Wars following the conclusion of Deadpool 3.
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) draws his light saber in Star Wars Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
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Levy confirmed his involvement in the project at the Toronto International Film Festival telling Collider, “We were just starting the process of developing my movie, and the writer strike happened.”
“So we are in that holding pattern that so much of our industry is in,” he added.
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Rise of Skywalker
In a new interview with Variety while promoting his upcoming Netflix series All The Light We Cannot See, Levy discussed the upcoming Star Wars project.
Levy was asked by Variety’s Elsa Keslassy, “In an interview conducted last year, Mark Ruffalo said, ‘You always get the same version of ‘Star Wars’ each time.’ Now that you’re working on one, how will you do things differently?”
He responded, “When Kathy Kennedy brought me on board to make a Star Wars movie, her central mandate to me was ‘I want a Shawn Levy movie. I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies — with a Star Wars story.'”
“So I have felt extremely empowered. We are in early days, unfortunately, because the development process was abruptly paused [due to the WGA strike], but I feel very empowered to trust my instincts in the development of this story and movie,” he added.
Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy on the set of 20th Century Studios’ FREE GUY. Photo by Alan Markfield. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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Later in the interview, he would be asked if Adam Driver would reprise his role as Kylo Ren in the film.
Levy replied, “Your words, not mine! As you know Adam is a buddy, and I’ve always been a huge fan of Kylo Ren. But no comment.”
Adam Driver speaking at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Driver seemingly made it clear he had no intention of returning to Star Wars following the Disney trilogy in an interview with French site Le Matin that was translated using machine translation.
When he was asked if he wanted to return to Kylo Ren following the conclusion of The Rise of Skywalker, Driver stated, “That is not on the agenda at all. This experience will remain forever as one of the great moments of my career but I aspire to other adventures.”
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
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Next, he was asked what his plans were following Star Wars, he stated, “By 2020, I want to disappear. I want to be forgotten so that I am offered other very different projects. I will try to be as discreet as possible during the holiday season because I hate to draw attention to myself.”
“This may sound surprising to a comedian, but I like to be incognito. One thing is certain: I will avoid movie theaters and especially places where we project Star Wars,” he added.
Joe Keery, director Shawn Levy and Utkarsh Ambudkar on the set of 20th Century Studios’ FREE GUY. Photo by Alan Markfield. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
However, in an interview with Unilad in November 2021 that has now been removed from their website, Driver’s stance had seemingly softened on Star Wars.
When asked about the potential to return to the Star Wars franchise, he said, “No, I’m totally not against it. For me, it’s a filmmaker’s medium, so my only thing is working with great filmmakers. Whatever the size… it’s never been interesting to me, to an extent. There’s interesting things about working on both. I always just follow people I’d be interested in working with, and whether I’d be right for the part – things like that. No, definitely not averse.”
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren kills Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
So it’s definitely possible Driver could reprise his role in whatever film Levy is cooking up for Star Wars. A rumor from Giant Freaking Robot previously claimed Driver was in discussions to reprise his role in Damon Lindelof’s Star Wars film.
The rumor claimed that “Driver would play a Force ghost version of Kylo Ren; presumably to advise the hero(es) of the new story.”
Adam Driver as Jacques LeGris and Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges in 20th Century Studios’ THE LAST DUEL. Photo by Patrick Redmond. © 2021 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Lindelof was asked by Lucasfilm to step away from the project. He told Esquire back in April, “I was in more than talks to join the Star Wars universe. I joined the Star Wars universe and was asked to leave. So will I get back in line outside the club and ty to get back in again? Of course.”
He added, “This movie was the Alpha and the Omega. It was the first movie I saw in a movie theater. I love all the storytelling in that world. And if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Or again, again, try as Yoda would say.”
Damon Lindelof speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Twin Peaks”, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
While Lucasfilm removed Lindelof from the project, the core idea of it appears to be moving forward with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. At Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm announced the documentarian would direct a new film with Daisy Ridley reprising her role as Rey.
A press release stated, “Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will tell the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down; the director then delighted fans by welcoming Daisy Ridley to stage, confirming she will be reprising her beloved role as Rey in the upcoming movie.”
Rey (Daisy Ridley) confronts Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), LucasfilmWhat do you make of Levy’s comments regarding his Star Wars film?
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