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John Boyega says 'Rise of Skywalker' should've ended with a stormtrooper rebellion & more Luke
One of the Star Wars sequel trilogy stars looks back on his concluding chapter.
John Boyega was one of several young actors catapulted to international superstardom by the Star Wars sequel trilogy in 2015, following his earlier successes on projects like Attack The Block. But that doesn't mean he's completely happy with the way his time in a galaxy far, far away ended.
In a new Vanity Fair profile promoting the release of his new thriller Breaking, Boyega opened up a little bit on the experience of saying goodbye to Star Wars, and how he feels about the franchise now. A lifelong Star Wars fan just like millions of people around the world, Boyega noted that he too has a wish list for what he'd like to have seen happen in Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, and it's not just stuff that should have happened to his character.
“To a certain extent, there should have been a Stormtrooper rebellion,” he said. “And then to flesh out Luke’s character a bit more. Give him more moments of redemption, which I feel like was needed after VIII [The Last Jedi].”
Boyega famously played Finn, a First Order Stormtrooper who decided to go AWOL and then fully defect to the Resistance after seeing the cruelty he'd been forced into participating in firsthand. The Rise of Skywalker did give him a few moments to bond with other rogue Stormtroopers, and even lead them in the climactic battle, but there was no grander statement about the rest of the First Order foot soldiers. Boyega's other big wish? At least a little more time with the legacy characters to cement the passing of the baton between old trilogy and new.
"I feel like Star Wars fans needed more time with those characters that we love so much," he added.
Like his fellow sequel trilogy stars, including Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac, Boyega's gotten used to fielding questions about whether or not he'd be willing to reprise his role in future films, and for the moment at least, he's come to a pretty firm decision. While he used to offer more diplomatic answers about finding the right script, he now feels that his time with Star Wars has probably come to an end.
“Not all Star Wars characters get the clean-cut ending that you want them to get,” Boyega said. “Creatively, Finn’s reached a point where I feel like we can leave him there, on his path, and do other things.”
Those "other things" for Boyega at the moment include the much-anticipated sequel to Attack The Block, which will reunite him with director Joe Cornish and allow him to return to his first breakout character Moses, the South London gang leader tasked with fighting off an alien invasion in his neighborhood. As far as Star Wars goes, he's happy to remain a fan, and notes that if his co-stars ever did decide to pick up the baton again, "I'll be watching."
“People always get shocked! Industry issues have nothing to do with Star Wars and me being a fan of it," Boyega said. "I’ve been watching Obi-Wan, I’ve been watching The Mandalorian. I’m still forever going to be a fan of this franchise. As far as Finn is concerned? I’m good on that.”
Breaking is in theaters now. Boyega's next film, The Woman King, arrives Sept. 16.
Looking for more dark sci-fi space adventures? SYFY's acclaimed Battlestar Galactica adaptation is streaming now on Peacock. Looking ahead, SYFY has the new space thriller The Ark coming next season.
