For the next two months, we’re mainly going to be talking about Adam Driver in relation to “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Yes, he’s got “Marriage Story” and “The Report” as his awards contenders for the end of the year, but until ‘Skywalker’ arrives in theaters, most people won’t even begin to think about Driver as anything other than Kylo Ren. But before then, we can still sneak in one more Adam Driver non-”Star Wars” story into the film universe.
According to Variety, Driver is now in talks to join Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jodie Comer in the upcoming Ridley Scott film, “The Last Duel.” However, with the addition of Driver, there’s a bit of actor musical chairs afoot. You see, the role that Driver is now likely to take is the same lead role that Affleck was originally cast in. Now, with the addition of the “Marriage Story” actor, Affleck is going to take a backseat and instead take a smaller, supporting role, where he will work with Comer more. That means that the ‘Duel’ in the title will likely be between Damon and Driver.
“The Last Duel” is a period film about two knights (Damon and Driver) that find their friendship tested by treachery, while a woman (Comer) has to navigate the society that isn’t the most friendly for non-male folks.
The reason for the musical chairs appears to be a scheduling conflict that finds Affleck having to take a smaller role due to his involvement in the upcoming film “Deep Water.” He is still deeply involved in the film though, as he and Damon are co-writing “The Last Duel” with acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener. As mentioned, Ridley Scott is directing.
No release date has been set, but production on the film is expected to begin in early 2020.