John Boyega Changes Tune, Now Open To Return To Star Wars: “I’m Open To All Opportunities”
John F. Trent
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Actor John Boyega, who played Finn in the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy, recently changed his tune on whether he would return to Star Wars franchise recently declaring he’s “open to all opportunities.”
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Disney
In November 2019 Boyega responded to a Twitter user who posited, “John Boyega is the most useless character in the current Star Wars franchise but you don’t here (sp?) him say anything at how bad that writing is.”
Boyega responded, “I have those discussions on set.”
John Boyega Twitter
RELATED: John Boyega Blasts Disney After Minority Cast Was “Pushed to the Side” In Disney Star Wars Sequels!
Back in 2020, Boyega spoke with GQ about his experience in the Star Wars trilogy where he lampooned Lucasfilm saying they sought to “bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side.”
“It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up,” he added.
John Boyega as FN-2187 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
He continued, “Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver. You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f**k all.”
“So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience…’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience,” he said. “They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.”
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm
RELATED: John Boyega Describes Working On Franchises Like Star Wars As A “Luxury Jail”
In 2021, CinemaBlend reported that Boyega did a Q&A promoting his TV mini-series Small Axe where he described working on Star Wars as a luxury jail.
He said, “Being in a big franchise, it’s kind of like luxury jail sometimes for an actor when you want to do something else.”
The actor elaborated, “Because remember, in a franchise you’re working on one character for many years, which can starve your other muscles.”
John Boyega as Finn and Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm
Now, Speaking with TechRadar, Boyega acknowledged his past comments saying, “That [those comments] was a few years ago, so they were the subject of that particular project.”
However, he noted he’s now open to returning to Star Wars, “But I’m open to all characters and scripts that are enjoyable, have a great cast attached, and a terrific director. So yeah, I’m open to all opportunities.”
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm
Boyega’s comments come in the wake of Lucasfilm announcing the return of Daisy Ridley for a film set around 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
A press from Lucasfilm announced, “[Kathleen] Kennedy then revealed that “Star Wars” will head into the future, with a new feature set 15 years after the last events of the Skywalker Saga. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will tell the story of rebuilding the New Jedi Order and the powers that rise to tear it down; the director then delighted fans by welcoming Daisy Ridley to stage, confirming she will be reprising her beloved role as Rey in the upcoming movie.”
It’s quite possible Boyega is now angling to try and get a role in that film.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Daisy Ridley, Kathleen Kennedy and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attend the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
What do you make of Boyega changing his tune and declaring he’s now open to returning to the Star Wars franchise?