John Boyega says return to Star Wars could happen, but with a twist
LucasfilmStar Wars actor John Boyega has teased that he’s open to making a return to the blockbuster sci-fi franchise, but this time he wants to get animated.
The British actor first joined the galaxy far, far away as stormtrooper-turned-rebel Finn in 2015’s The Force Awakens, although he has since voiced concerns that his character was “pushed to the side” as the sequel trilogy progressed.
In a new interview with Yahoo Entertainment, John revealed that he’s not completely closed off to revisiting his character for more stories in the future, but he’d forgo a big-screen appearance in favor of an animated TV format.
Lucasfilm“I’m a Mandalorian fan, so Lucasfilm are doing very, very well with the TV shows,” he said when discussing the potential for the franchise to explore Finn’s character more. “If they could do it on TV and do all that kind of stuff, man I’d love to watch it.”
Asked whether he himself would come back to portray Finn once again, he replied: “Well yeah! Animated would actually be dope. We could do it from home.”
John Boyega wanted Finn to have a bigger role in Star Wars
Leaks and concept art for Colin Trevorrow’s unfilmed Star Wars Episode IX script Duel of the Fates have suggested that Finn’s role as a rebellion leader would originally have been given a lot more focus, which is something John wanted to see happen.
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“That [concept] image of Finn with the blue flag, and the AT-ATs lined up with tribal marks, and the stormtroopers take off their helmets,” he said. “That would have been sick. That would have been dope man, hands down.”
John also addressed his recent headline-making comments about the Star Wars franchise, where he criticized the handling of his and Kelly Marie Tran’s characters and said Disney didn’t “know what to do” with them.
“I felt like it was important for me to talk about a truth that’s embarrassing to talk about,” he reflected. “We all know that what makes roles so lucrative [are] the moments you give them.
“If Captain America isn’t given the scenes to boost his representation, and to make him enjoyable for you guys, we won’t think he’s cool. So why shouldn’t black characters and black actors also fight for that same kind of representation?”
John’s next project Red, White and Blue – which forms part of Steve McQueen’s new anthology series Small Axe – is set to air on BBC One and Amazon later this year. It recently premiered at the New York Film Festival and received rave reviews.