Credit: LucasfilmOne of the stars of the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy is signaling his openness to return to the series, reversing several years of severe criticism toward the iconic Lucasfilm franchise from a galaxy far, far away.
While Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy was phenomenally successful at the box office (grossing an estimated $4.5 billion at the box office) and revitalized the franchise after years of dormancy, it was also highly criticized by fans for numerous creative decisions and seemingly backtracking on plot points.
Most notably, the sequel trilogy was strongly lambasted by John Boyega, who starred as former Stormtrooper Finn in three movies.
However, it seems time has softened John Boyega on Star Wars (though he definitely knows which movie he likes least), and he seems to be ready to rejoin the Resistance.
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John Boyega Has Previously Denied He Would Return to ‘Star Wars’
In a new interview with Tech Radar, John Boyega was asked if he would be open to returning to Star Wars, given his mixed experience with the sequel trilogy. Despite his previous stances on it, the star of the upcoming thriller They Cloned Tyrone said:
“That was a few years ago, so that was subject to that particular project. I’m open to all characters and scripts that are enjoyable and have a great cast and director. So yeah, I’m open to anything.”
This is a pretty different tune to John Boyega last year, who told the Tell Me Everything With John Fugelsang podcast:
“At this point I’m cool off it. I’m good off it… I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation. But I feel like ‘[Episode] VII’ to ‘[Episode] IX’ was good for me.”
A lot can change in a year, it seems.
Negative Fan Experiences
John Boyega has been vocal about his experiences playing a prominent black character in the franchise, which often involved harassment from so-called fans of the science fiction series.
Along with co-star Kelly Marie Tran, John Boyega endured sustained abuse from the fandom, telling GQ:
“I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race… Nobody else in the cast had people saying they were going to boycott the movie because [they were in it]. Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, ‘Black this and black that and you shouldn’t be a Stormtrooper.”
It was also commented on by both John Boyega and culture at large that the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy increasingly sidelined POC actors like him and Kelly Marie Tran in favor of White actors like Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.
Related: How George Lucas Really Feels About Star Wars Spin-Offs
‘Star Wars’ Is Becoming Increasingly Ethnically Diverse
However, in recent years, Lucasfilm seems to be making a concerted effort to change the face of the franchise.
POC actors like Moses Ingram (of Obi-Wan Kenobi), Amandla Stenberg (The Acolyte), and Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka) are now leading shows and becoming the future of the franchise. Maybe that is helping to change John Boyega’s mind.
Do you want to see John Boyega return to Star Wars? Use your blaster in the comments below!