Kevin Feige says Adam Driver has turned down so many Marvel roles over the years that it has become a “tradition,” but he would very much like to convince the Star Wars actor to join the MCU.

Speaking to Josh Horowitz, the Marvel Studios boss said he had had “many conversations” with Driver about playing potential Marvel characters, but he keeps turning them down.

Is Feige getting close now, Horowitz asked?

“It’s no secret we’d like to,” Feige replied. “But it’s a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes. That’s a long-lived tradition.”

Feige then insisted his Zoom chats with Driver “couldn’t be more cordial,” but that Driver was “usually up front about how he’s feeling.”

The comments about Adam Driver come at an interesting time. Last week, high profile Marvel tipster MyTimetoShineHello and DC source ApcHorseman, who was the first to correctly claim Scarlett Johansson had joined The Batman Part 2 and that Josh Brolin had been offered the role of Hal Jordan in Lanterns, said Driver would play iconic X-Men villain Magneto. But ApcHorseman has since posted to social media to say that was a mistake, and that Driver is set to play the manipulative genetic engineer Mister Sinister instead.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

Does Feige’s comment on Driver cast doubt on that rumor? I don’t think so. Feige is, as always, being careful with what he says in the interview. And while he suggests Driver has yet to say yes to anything MCU related, he doesn’t properly address the question. Nothing is ruled out, basically.

Casting speculation is in full swing as Marvel plots its fresh, "youth-oriented" X-Men reboot, which is due after next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars. The project is led by Thunderbolts/The New Avengers director Jake Schreier. Obsession star Inde Navarette recently revealed she met with Schreier and was interested in a Marvel role, which some are speculating is Mystique.

Up to this point, the MCU has dipped its toe into mutant territory, with Namor and Kamala Khan already established as mutants, and of course a number of Fox X-Men crossing the streams with the release of Deadpool \& Wolverine. We’ll see the X-Men of old in this December's Avengers: Doomsday (although not, apparently, Deadpool and Wolverine themselves), as three universes collide. But will we see Jean Grey earlier? Jean Grey is rumored to be the mystery character played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in this month’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

In other MCU news, Marvel has just released the first proper Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which includes a first look at Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. We also have a new Avengers: Doomsday poster that teases Doctor Doom's motivation in the story.

Photo by Teresa Suarez/Pool/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.