John Boyega revealed that he would consider reprising his role of Finn in future Star Wars projects if certain people are involved. The 29-year-old star previously took issue with Finn’s story arc and the representation of POC characters in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Boyega last played the former stormtrooper in J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which was poorly received by both fans and critics. The final film in the Skywalker saga saw Finn and The Resistance defeat Palpatine’s armada. In 2017, Colin Trevorrow was replaced as the director of the film because Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy was unhappy with the film's script.
Following the conclusion of the sequel trilogy, Boyega stated that he wouldn’t likely appear as Finn for any future Star Wars projects. However, in a recently resurfaced clip from a 2020 interview, Boyega asserted that he’d be open to returning to Star Wars if Kennedy and Abrams were also on board. “Whichever way, I am open to the conversation as long as it is Kathleen, J.J., and maybe someone else, and the team, it’s a no-brainer,” he said. Partnering with Abrams on another Star Wars-related project appears unlikely considering that the director-screenwriter recently said that he wants to tackle more original projects after his DC work.
Boyega made news in 2019 for criticizing Disney for sidelining his and Kelly Marie Tran's character from the main narrative. The actor was disappointed that Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren got nuanced story arcs, while POC characters were marketed to be more important than they were. A lot of the Finn scenes were cut from The Last Jedi, while Tran had a considerably diminished role in The Rise of Skywalker. Soon after the revealing interview, Boyega stated that he had a “very honest” and transparent” discussion with Kennedy.
In the released clip, the actor notably referenced Kennedy and Abrams but not The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. While he enjoyed making the film, Boyega said he personally told Johnson that he disagreed with every choice he made for his character. In the polarizing sequel, Boyega’s Finn developed feelings for Rose while on a mission to disable the First Order’s tracking device. Fans were displeased that The Last Jedi split the storylines of Rey and Finn, whose friendship was a vital part of The Force Awakens.
Several Star Wars-related films and series are in the works at Dinsey. Johnson, who is currently working on Knives Out 2, was tapped to develop a brand-new trilogy of Star Wars films. At this time it is unclear when the upcoming trilogy will start production.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy can be currently streamed on Disney Plus.
Source: Entertainment Weekly