Star Wars VII villain Kylo Ren has finally been unmasked and it’s confirmed that Adam Driver will play the new villain.
It’s been rumoured ever since the official Star Wars VII casting announcement – that Adam Driver would play the new villain in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
But we’ve seen very little of this new galactic threat… and even after the character appeared in the second official trailer, he remained a bit of a mystery.
Now, a new official image gives us a much better look.
Appearing in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, this impressive new image gives a look at the man beneath the mask… and as rumoured, it’s Adam Driver who will be the latest villain to grapple with the galaxy far, far away.
“First of all, as we suspected, Adam Driver is playing the hooded bad guy Kylo Ren and, yes, the Girls star is the lucky cast member swinging that next-generation three-pronged lightsaber that prompted so much discussion in the first teaser,” they revealed. “In case the all-black ensemble wasn’t enough to tip you off to Ren’s allegiance, those ominous snowtroopers behind him are a big clue.”
Of course, they also give us a bit of context for that picture… and it seems that Kylo Ren is currently holed up with the First Order, at the ‘frozen planes’ of their secret base. Although there’s no mention of whether or not that’s Hoth we’re seeing.
Obviously, this gives us a much closer look at Kylo Ren’s garb. And while it’s certainly evil enough, there’s one, far more striking thing about this picture – he looks as though he could easily be related to Harrison Ford.
And perhaps that’s the reason he was cast…
Unfortunately, there are no further details about how Kylo Ren fits into the wider movie… and I get the feeling it’s going to be a much longer wait before we find out.
But with rumours that Han Solo’s children may make an appearance, I can’t help wondering whether Adam Driver will be one of them… and a fall to the Dark Side would pay homage to the old Expanded Universe – specifically, Jacen Solo.
But for now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Star Wars VII heads to cinemas on 18 December 2015.
What do you think of this cool new image? Were you expecting Adam Driver to look quite so human underneath the mask? Let us know what you think in the comments below…