Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has revealed that Adam Driver has repeatedly declined offers to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years, describing the pattern as a running joke inside the studio. Speaking on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Feige said conversations with the actor tend to end the same way. “It’s no secret we’d like to work with Adam,” Feige said. “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.”
Feige did not specify which roles he has pitched to Driver over the years, but the studio’s interest in the actor stretches back at least to 2022, when reports indicated Marvel had approached him about playing Reed Richards in “Fantastic Four.” A source told the “Hot Mic” podcast at the time that Driver could not connect with the character and that the idea died quickly once the script failed to resonate with him.
The latest round of questions about Driver’s Marvel future comes amid online speculation tying him to Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot, currently in early development under director Jake Schreier. Fans have floated Driver for roles including Magneto and Mister Sinister, though Feige neither confirmed nor denied any specific negotiations for the project, which is expected to arrive after “Avengers: Secret Wars” closes out the studio’s current saga.
Driver’s reluctance to join Marvel stands out given his history with other major franchises. He spent three films as Kylo Ren across the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy and recently disclosed that he spent two years developing a follow-up focused on the character with director Steven Soderbergh, a project Disney executives ultimately declined to move forward.
Beyond blockbusters, Driver has built a career balancing studio films like “House of Gucci” and “Ferrari” with auteur-driven projects such as Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” a pattern that suggests his hesitation toward Marvel has more to do with a preference for director-driven material than an aversion to franchise filmmaking itself.
No deal between Driver and Marvel has been announced.
