John Boyega Would Return To Star Wars ONLY If Kathleen Kennedy And J. J. Were Involved
John Boyega as Finn in The Rise of Skywalker / Photo Credit Lucasfilm
John Boyega was one of the most beloved actors from the sequel trilogy. Star Wars fans everywhere adored his character FN-2187 (Finn) since the release of the very first teaser of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Fans had great expectations for this character throughout the entire sequel trilogy. Yet the story of Finn was sadly altered as the films were released.
Finn’s character went from being one of the main characters of the film, to a simple sidekick who was just there to get the plot going. Finn had so much potential to be the first Force sensitive stormtrooper, to the first stormtrooper defector to join the Resistance. Sadly, Finn’s story fizzled after The Force Awakens. The Last Jedi made his character somewhat irrelevant to the actual plot of the story. His character arc got even worse in The Rise of Skywalker, where Finn was treated as your stereotypical comedic-worthless character throughout the story.
After the release of The Rise of Skywalker, Boyega released a statement showing his disappointment with his character in the movies after The Force Awakens. Boyega told his fans that he felt that his character went from being extremely important to the story to being tossed aside like a minor character for The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. He felt so strongly about this that he decided not to return to reprise his role as Finn on any future Star Wars projects after The Rise of Skywalker.
The actor also told fans that if he was to return to Star Wars, J. J. Abrams, and Kathleen Kennedy would need to be involved, especially if he was to reprise his role as Finn.
"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."
Many fans were confused with Boyega’s decision, as many of them blame Kennedy for many controversial decisions associated with the sequel trilogy. Director J. J. Abrams was also blamed for the questionable creative decisions of the sequel trilogy. After all, some have criticized his work on the Kelvin Star Trek films as well. Although these two could be responsible for the contended moments within the sequel trilogy, one can imagine how endearing they both were to John Boyega.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens was Boyega’s fist step into the big pictures of Hollywood. It also showed him what can happen to a character when there were differences within the creative team. Boyega, like his co-star Daisy Ridley, openly told fans that the sequel trilogy’s story was not completely planned,, and that some of the plotlines were thought out on the spot during the filming process.
It is understandable why some of these actors may not want to return to the Star Wars universe. Some fans blamed the actors for the final product on the screen, but one must understand that Boyega and the others were only following directions. The blame for some of the decisions would likely go to those at the top—the creative team. John Boyega was a terrific actor. Although he might have not agreed with the creative decisions surrounding his character, he gave his best performance nonetheless. His humble attitude, and love for Star Wars, will always warm the hearts of all his fans, even if they may not get to see him in the role of Finn in any other future Star Wars projects. There is no doubt that we are all happy that he is a part of the Star Wars universe, and a part of the Star Wars magic, which we all love and adore.
Source: Movieweb