John Boyega Won’t Reprise Finn After ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,’ or So He Thinks
Disney’s upcoming “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has long been touted as the final chapter in the nine-film Skywalker saga, and according to star John Boyega, the studio means it. Comments the actor made while at Star Wars Celebration have gone viral for implying the actor will not reprise his role as Finn in any capacity following the release of “The Rise of Skywalker” this Christmas. Boyega was introduced as the new character in “The Force Awakens” and many fans have been left wondering if certain characters would live on past “The Rise of Skywalker” release.
Boyega let the news slip by telling MTV News, “Honestly, the bottom of my heart, I don’t think I am [coming back]. I don’t think I am. I really do feel that way. This really is that movie, I think everyone doesn’t believe it, but this is that war that just ends everything.”
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The “war that just ends everything” line has some speculating whether or not Finn dies in “The Rise of Skywalker,” although Boyega is probably too savvy to slightly spoil something that huge in advance of the film’s release. If anything, Boyega’s quote reconfirms that “The Rise of Skywalker” was developed as a swan song for returning characters and new characters introduced in “The Force Awakens,” including Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Oscar Isaac’s Poe.
Even if Boyega is right and the current plan is not to bring back Finn, the question remains if Disney and Lucasfilm would actually stick to that plan. Given how popular the new “Star Wars” characters are, it’s not entirely out of the question to speculate that Disney would want to cash in and revive some of them in the future in some capacity should they live through the events of “The Rise of Skywalker.”
For now, Lucasfilm is planning to follow the Skywalker saga with new “Star Wars” storylines developed by “The Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson and “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The franchise is also coming to television with the new series like “The Mandalorian,” overseen by Jon Favreau.
Disney is opening “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in theaters nationwide December 20.
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