Following the release of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, John Boyega, who starred as the former Stormtrooper turned Rebel, Finn, spoke out about the abuse he received following his debut in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and how his character became less important in the two sequels, “The Last Jedi” and “The Rise Of Skywalker”.

During an interview with GQ in September 2020, Boyega shared his thoughts on the impact that some fans had on his role in the Star Wars films.

“I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race. Let’s just leave it like that. It makes you angry with a process like that. It makes you much more militant; it changes you. Because you realise, ‘I got given this opportunity but I’m in an industry that wasn’t even ready for me’.  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.’ Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I’m this way. That’s my frustration.”

He was critical of Disney’s actions following the backlash, saying at the time:

“You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything.  [But] what I would say to Disney is do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”

His treatment and reaction to the films indicate that John Boyega wouldn’t be returning to our screens again as Finn, in either a new film or a Disney+ series.    Disney had similar backlashes over the recent “Little Mermaid” movie and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series, both of which saw Disney being much more proactive in dealing with the situation, putting their support behind the actors, and providing more support.

Earlier this year, at the Star Wars Celebration event in London, Disney announced that they would be making a new film set after the events of the sequel trilogy and that Daisy Ridley would be returning to the role of Rey.  Leading many to speculate about if John would also return.

In a recent interview with TechRadar , to promote his new Netflix movie “They Cloned Tyrone“, John Boyega shared he is much more open to returning to the Star Wars Universe and addressed his previous comments.

“That [those comments] was a few years ago, so they were the subject of that particular project. But I’m open to all characters and scripts that are enjoyable, have a great cast attached, and a terrific director. So yeah, I’m open to all opportunities.”

In the last movie, Finn was teased to be force sensitive, so it would possibly fit into the story of him being a major character in the new film and, hopefully, finally get to see Finn pushed into the spotlight once again in a Star Wars film or show.

Would you like to see John Boyega back in future Star Wars projects?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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