John Boyega admits he’s “moved on” from Star Wars after sequel backlash

John Boyega has said he’s already “moved on” from Star Wars, and suggested he has no plans to reprise his role as Finn again in the franchise, after admitting Disney “could have done better” with the saga’s ninth episode, The Rise of Skywalker.

London actor Boyega appeared as Finn in three consecutive Star Wars sequels, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker. Since the conclusion of Disney’s new trilogy, he hasn’t been shy about sharing his mind on the three-film run either.

Boyega’s admission of moving on came after a Star Wars fan commented on a recent post on Instagram, calling for the UK star to appear in the franchise’s next movie “in action with a green lightsaber, dressed in black.”

“Lol, no thank you, I’ve moved on,” he replied. Boyega then returned to the replies soon after, when another fan suggested he “got those Disney bucks” and didn’t need the new Star Wars payday anymore. “Nope… not into playing one role for too long. I have more to offer than that. That’s all.”

The Star Wars star, who appeared in 2011’s Attack the Block before landing the Disney role in mid-2014, hasn’t held back in his criticism of the sequel trilogy since Rise of Skywalker’s run in cinemas ended late last year.

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He admitted back in April there had been “disappointments” in the direction the series took following Force Awakens, and told Hollywood Reporter he thought Disney “could have done better with it, especially with Finn and Rose”. He did add, however, that it had been a “very fulfilling” role for him, even if he “won’t be coming back.”

Despite Boyega’s apparent disappointment in the sequel trilogy as a whole, he has been one of the leading voices against fan backlash directed at his co-stars. After Kelly Tran deleted her Instagram, he took aim at fans.

“If you don’t like Star Wars or the characters, understand there are decisions makers [sic] and harassing the actors/actresses will do nothing,” he said in a series of Twitter posts ahead of The Rise of Skywalker’s 2019 release.

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“You’re not entitled to politeness when your approach is rude. Even if you paid for a ticket!” He later added most fans did “put themselves in our shoes”. It was important, he said, for them to have a good understanding “there is a process.”

Boyega’s next major project could be a sequel to the 2011 British flick Attack the Block. Just last month, the original movie’s director and writer Joe Cornish told the Script Apart podcast he had “met with John [Boyega] to talk about it.”

The Star Wars alumnus is also working on three new movies ⁠— Naked Singularity, Borderland, and Rebel Ridge ⁠— as well as a television series, Small Axe, according to IMDB. Boyega will also have a voice role in the next Lego Star Wars title.