Is John Boyega Returning to ‘Star Wars’?

Even though he said some things before, John Boyega seems open to the possibility of returning to the Star Wars franchise.

John Boyega, known for his role as Finn in the recent Star Wars films, suggested at MEGACON Orlando over the weekend that he might reprise the character in future installments.

During a fan event, John Boyega unexpectedly revealed he’d already spoken with Dave Filoni after someone in the audience requested he reach out to the Star Wars executive. Boyega’s response, “I actually have, actually,” caught everyone by surprise.

Following Kathleen Kennedy’s departure, Dave Filoni has been appointed the new president and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm. Filoni has a long history with the world of Star Wars, having worked on many projects and been mentored by George Lucas himself.

Boyega didn’t offer any details about his conversation with Filoni. However, he’s spoken before about having a bad experience with the Disney Star Wars sequels, and it seems he’s finished with the series.

How Does John Boyega Feel About Star Wars Today?

In 2020, John Boyega expressed disappointment that his character, Finn, wasn’t given enough to do in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. This was especially frustrating because Finn had been set up as a potentially powerful Force-sensitive character with a promising storyline when he first appeared in 2015’s The Force Awakens.

Actor John Boyega told GQ magazine that Disney shouldn’t introduce Black characters as central to their stories only to then sideline them. He said it’s a bad practice and was direct in his criticism.

John Boyega has spoken more openly about the negative experiences he had with racism from certain fans after being cast as Finn in Star Wars. He shared further details in the 2025 documentary, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood.

John Boyega explains that Star Wars always felt like a very white and privileged world. He points out that the presence of Black characters in the franchise has often felt tokenized. He compares fans pointing to Lando Calrissian and Samuel L. Jackson as examples of diversity to simply adding a few chocolate chips to cookie dough – a minimal effort that doesn’t change the overall composition.

People are fine with us playing supporting roles, but as soon as we start taking the lead, innovating, or becoming influential, they accuse us of trying too hard and simply seeking approval.

John Boyega wasn’t alone in facing racist abuse from online fans during his time in the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy. Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, received so much hateful feedback that she had to delete her Instagram account.

John Boyega’s character, Finn, might reappear in the upcoming Star Wars movie focusing on Rey. Disney announced the film, starring Daisy Ridley, in 2023, but there haven’t been many details released about it since then.

Earlier this year, Ridley assured fans the wait for the next installment would be worth it. While promoting her horror film, We Bury the Dead, she told ComicBook.com that she believes the story will be fantastic and that audiences will be surprised to see where Rey is in her life when she returns.

Actors Who Were Wasted in Star Wars Roles

Danny Trejo

Danny Trejo frequently appears in films directed by Robert Rodriguez, so it wasn’t surprising to see him in The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+. However, his role was disappointingly brief – he only appeared as the trainer of Boba Fett’s pet rancor for a couple of minutes. Given that he’s known as the iconic character Machete, many fans were left wondering why he wasn’t given a bigger part, perhaps even a showdown with Boba Fett himself!

Dominic Monaghan

Disney’s Star Wars sequels often feature characters who are heavily promoted before the film’s release but end up with very little screen time. In The Rise of Skywalker, Beaumont Kin, played by Dominic Monaghan, was one of those characters. He was presented as a skilled codebreaker aiding the Rebel alliance, and the casting of a well-known actor from Lord of the Rings and Lost suggested he’d be a significant part of the story. However, Beaumont ultimately didn’t play a substantial role in the film, and didn’t have much to do at all.

Dominic West

Before Dominic West became famous for his role in The Wire, he had a very small part in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – he played a security guard who briefly allows Anakin Skywalker access to Queen Amidala. It was a minor role with only a few lines, and he wasn’t even shown up close. West seems ideally suited to play a charming, unscrupulous smuggler like Han Solo, and he still could. For now, his brief appearance in The Phantom Menace feels like a missed opportunity for such a talented actor.

Gwendoline Christie

I was so excited when Gwendoline Christie, who I loved in Game of Thrones, was cast as Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens! She seemed like such a strong, cool character with that amazing chrome armor. But honestly, I was a little disappointed with how the character turned out. It felt like she was just there, mostly to show off a design that was originally meant for Kylo Ren. She showed up in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but she didn’t really do much, and anyone could have played the part behind all that awesome armor.

Jessica Henwick

Jessica Henwick has appeared in some major franchises, including Game of Thrones, Iron Fist (where she played Colleen Wing), and The Matrix Resurrections (as Bugs, a prominent young character). She’s even part of the Star Wars universe, playing an X-wing pilot in The Force Awakens.

Justin Theroux

Justin Theroux initially signed on to play a significant role as the Master Codebreaker on the planet Canto Bight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. However, as the film’s story evolved under director Rian Johnson, his character was almost entirely cut. Johnson asked Theroux if he’d still be willing to appear, even for a very small part that would mostly be a hidden treat for dedicated fans, and Theroux agreed. While it’s always good to see Justin Theroux on screen, it’s even better when he has more to do than just make a brief appearance.

Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Nyong’o, an Academy Award winner for her role in 12 Years a Slave, later appeared as the CGI character Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequels. Unfortunately, the character didn’t offer Nyong’o much opportunity to showcase her acting skills. Across three films, Maz Kanata had a minimal impact on the plot. She briefly attempted to give Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber to Rey, then suggested Finn search for a codebreaker in The Last Jedi, and ultimately served as a plot device to explain the storyline surrounding General Leia after Carrie Fisher’s passing in The Rise of Skywalker. The character lacked any significant or compelling moments, and despite the financial investment, Nyong’o’s talents weren’t fully utilized in the role.

Max Von Sydow

You probably forgot that Max von Sydow was in The Force Awakens, and that’s okay! He played Lor San Tekka, a character with a longer name than his screen time. Lor is an old friend of Luke Skywalker who gives Poe Dameron the crucial map to Luke’s location. Unfortunately, he doesn’t stick around for long – he’s killed off very quickly. We barely had time to get to know him, and that’s no exaggeration.

Rose Byrne

By 2002, Rose Byrne was already a successful actress in Australia, having won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival in 2000 for her performance in Goddess of 1967. While her role as a handmaiden to Senator Amidala in Attack of the Clones might have made her seem like a newcomer to Hollywood, she soon demonstrated her considerable talent and quickly rose to prominence.

Sung Kang

Sung Kang, known for his role in the Fast & Furious movies, is a naturally engaging actor with the potential to lead a Star Wars project. His Fast & Furious character, Han Seoul-oh, is even named after Han Solo, hinting at his ability to play a charming rogue. However, his actual Star Wars role as the Fifth Brother in Obi-Wan Kenobi didn’t showcase that potential – he was a minor Inquisitor. Maybe a standalone film focusing on Han Seoul-oh in a galaxy far, far away would have been a better idea.

Thandiwe Newton

Many actors weren’t used effectively in Solo, but Thandiwe Newton’s character felt especially underdeveloped. She played Val, a partner to the criminal Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), who mentors a young Han Solo. Val dies during an early heist gone wrong, supposedly to drive Beckett’s story forward. I would have preferred to see Newton in a more substantial role in Solo – really, any role other than this limited one. Newton herself was unhappy with how her character’s story played out, revealing in an interview that Val wasn’t originally meant to die, or at least not so definitively. She famously questioned the decision to kill off the first Black woman to have a significant role in a Star Wars film, saying it felt like a joke.

Titus Welliver

Titus Welliver is a fantastic television actor with a long and impressive career, starting with roles in shows like Deadwood, Lost, and Sons of Anarchy. More recently, he’s become well-known for playing the lead in the Amazon series Bosch and its continuation, Bosch: Legacy. He did appear in Star Wars once, as the captain of an Imperial ship in an episode of The Mandalorian. His character didn’t survive, so he won’t be back, but we can always rewatch Bosch!

2026-03-23 22:28