We all know that the storyline of Star Wars will continue well beyond Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker because it was announced at the Star Wars Celebration event in London that a new film about Rey’s story would be in production. As such, Daisy Ridley will return to reprise her role as Rey in a movie that is supposedly set 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. But we also know that there is another prominent character we met in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and we’re talking about Finn. So, will John Boyega’s Finn return in the new Star Wars movie?
It is unlikely that John Boyega’s Finn will ever return to the Star Wars franchise because the actor has already said that he is no longer willing to return to Star Wars and has made peace with the fiasco surrounding his Finn character and the way that it was treated in the sequel trilogy.
Finn was a promising character when he was introduced in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. However, it was sad to see that the character went through drastic storyline changes ever since he was introduced. That is why we understand Boyega’s feelings about his character and why he probably will never return to Star Wars.
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Back in the events of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the introduction of the Finn character was such as promising one because this was the first time that we saw a Stormtrooper having a mind of his own and realizing that the things that the First Order was doing were not in line with his moral compass. Portrayed by John Boyega, Finn quickly became one of the most intriguing characters of the sequel trilogy, especially after he was allowed to wield the blue lightsaber that once belonged to Anakin and Luke Skywalker.
As such, fans were quick to speculate that Boyega’s Finn character, who didn’t even have a name before he left the First Order, could actually be a Force-sensitive individual with the makings of a Jedi even though he was trained specifically to become a Stormtrooper. He also looked like a natural with a lightsaber because he gave problems to Kylo Ren when he tried to duel him, albeit the dark Jedi was injured from Chewbacca’s blaster bolt.
However, as the storyline of Finn progressed, the character became a background figure with no clear direction in terms of his character arc. He was seemingly pushed to the sidelines in the second movie. Meanwhile, in the third movie of the sequel trilogy, he was again not as important as Rey or, to some extent, Poe because his character arc didn’t have an exact direction.
Forbes summarized some of the most important points of a GQ interview with John Boyega in 2020. In that interview, it was made clear that Boyega didn’t like the way that Disney and Lucasfilm handled his character and the direction that Finn had because it was clear that there was no clear path in terms of where he was going with his character. And he attributed it to the fact that he was a person of color and that other persons of color didn’t have clear character arcs in the sequel trilogy.
“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.”
Of course, Boyega knew what it meant to be a person of color, especially after he received backlash from hardcore Star Wars fans back in 2014 when it was first announced that he would be an important character in Star Wars Episode VII.
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“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 realize, ‘I got given this opportunity, but I’m in an industry that wasn’t even ready for me.’”
The problem was that he felt that Disney and Lucasfilm didn’t handle his problem in a manner similar to how they now handle fan backlash regarding Black characters. For instance, Moses Ingram of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series received backlash from fans who didn’t like that she was a person of color. However, Ewan McGregor defended and protected Ingram.
In that regard, it is clear that John Boyega didn’t have the best experience as a Star Wars character, even though every kid that grew up watching Star Wars wanted to be in the movies. That’s why he quickly mentioned that he felt he didn’t get the same treatment the other actors and characters received due to his color.
Will John Boyega’s Finn Return to Star Wars?
So, while Boyega loved that many people defended Ingram, he didn’t feel like he had the same experience when playing Finn. As such, he announced that he was done with Star Wars and is unlikely to return to the franchise again. That’s why he will probably never return as Finn in the new Star Wars movie that will see the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey. He confirmed this in an interview, ruling out a possible return to the franchise.
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In the interview, Boyega said that he had made peace with what happened with his character in Episodes VII to IX and that he no longer feels as bad as he once did when he called out Disney for the way that his character was treated.
Boyega also said that he would rather diversify his acting profile than stick to one acting role that would have defined his entire portfolio. He said he was thankful for being in Star Wars because it gave him international recognition. Of course, he also became a well-known actor due to his portrayal of Finn. And he has since appeared in numerous successful projects that helped give him more diversity in terms of what kind of roles he can handle as an actor.
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As such, the Finn character will likely retire with John Boyega. It might be possible for Disney to replace Boyega with a new actor, but that would only add fuel to the fire in the rough relationship between the actor and the company.
Of course, we are not dismissing the possibility that the door could still be open for reconciliation between Boyega and Disney/Lucasfilm. After all, if the right deal could be struck between the two parties, there’s still a chance that Finn could return at one point in the future of the Star Wars franchise.
