Some concept art for Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens has surfaced, revealing a menacing – and drastically different – alternate design.
Concept artist Christian Alzmann revealed a painting of what Kylo Ren could have looked like in the first Star Wars movie in a decade, and it’s quite a departure from the design that they would end up going with. We only see a little of the villain’s face behind the mask, but if the design would have been used, then Adam Driver would have needed a lot of makeup to look like the Kylo Ren that might have been.
You can check out the concept art for Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1T7QcAjw7f/
Fans of Star Wars Rebels will know that this design was repurposed for the recurring Season 2 villain the Fifth Brother. The character was part of the Inquisitors, an organization that sought out Force-sensitive children to recruit or capture for an unknown, sinister purpose. Nonetheless, the design is a stark contrast to how Kylo Ren is portrayed in the films, with his appearance behind the mask essentially being what Adam Driver looks like in real life, give or take a scar – which played well into the reveal to Rey that he’s not horribly disfigured like his grandfather, Darth Vader.
Earlier in development on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the character that would become Kylo Ren was dubbed the “Jedi Killer”, and he may not have necessarily been the Sequel Trilogy’s central antagonist, but a villain for the first installment that would drive another character to the Dark Side. After the script was revised, it was decided that both of these characters would be condensed into one, and Adam Driver was hired to play the part.
Directed by J. J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams.
Carrie Fisher will appear as General Leia Organa through the use of previously unreleased footage shot from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be released in theaters on December 20, 2019. Stay tuned for the latest news on Adam Driver, Kylo Ren and the Star Wars universe.
