Adam Driver Reveals Original Plan for Kylo Ren in Star Wars: Episode 9

But no redemption arc for Kylo Ren? According to Adam Driver, Star Wars: Episode 9 was originally supposed to look very different. Image source: Disney/Lucasfilm

The new Star Wars trilogy is plagued by many problems. But perhaps the biggest one is hard to ignore: Directors JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson definitely didn’t share the same vision for how the adventure of Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron and Co. should go.

Now Adam Driver provides new evidence that only further supports this argument: According to the actor playing Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren, a completely different ending was originally planned for the villain in episodes 7, 8 and 9.

Like his great role model Darth Vader, Kylo Ren initially appears as a villain, but then finds his way back to the light side of the force in the final moments of the trilogy. And like Anakin Skywalker, Ben Solo does not survive the last part of the new Star Wars films.

No redemption arc for Kylo Ren

In a new interview (via Collider) but Adam Driver reveals that this redemption arc (i.e. when a villain purifies and rehabilitates himself) was not originally planned for Kylo Ren:

I had [für Kylo Ren] an overarching plot in mind that [J.J. Abrams] wanted to implement, but then changed. The idea was almost the exact opposite of Darth Vader’s journey, who initially appears self-confident and committed to the Dark Side and is then seen at his most vulnerable and weak in the final film. We wanted to start at the other end by [Kylo Ren] initially confused and vulnerable, until after the three films he fully commits himself to the dark side.

The new Star Wars trilogy mirrors the classic one in many ways – but often too much for many critics and viewers. Image source: Disney/Lucasfilm

When and why was this plan scrapped?

Apparently things turned out very differently in Episode 9 – The Rise of Skywalker. Originally, Abrams was supposed to shoot Episode 7, Rian Johnson Episode 8 and Colin Trevorrow Episode 9. And we actually now know what Trevorrow’s vision for Episode 9 would have looked like.

According to Colin Trevorrow’s published script for Star Wars: Episode 9 – Duel of the Fates, Kylo Ren would have been the big villain and not a Palpatine who had somehow returned from the dead. But even in Trevorrow’s script, Kylo Ren would have changed for the better in the last few minutes.

Perhaps Adam Driver is referring to Abrams’ early script drafts for Episode 9, after Trevorrow was fired by Disney and the Episode 7 director was brought back on board. One can only speculate as to when and why the original plans for Kylo Ren were scrapped.

You can find out more about what Star Wars 9 almost looked like and to what extent Disney and Lucasfilm may have even backtracked on controversial decisions at the following links:

How satisfied are you with Star Wars: Episode 9 and overall the new sequel trilogy about Rey, Finn, Poe and Co.? Would you have preferred to see Colin Trevorrow’s vision for the finale or do you perhaps even think JJ Abrams’ choices were better? What do you hope for future Star Wars films? Let us know in the comments!

2023-12-14 09:53:29
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