Among the core trio of newcomers to help fire The Force Awakens to box office stardom, Attack the Block star John Boyega was a true highlight, anchoring the galactic action as an unlikely yet believable hero.
But while the events of J.J. Abrams’ franchise revival left him down, out and injured following an encounter with a certain someone, Boyega himself revealed that his role in 2017’s Star Wars: Episode VIII will be much “more physical” by comparison.
What exactly his comments mean for the Force-sensitive Finn remain to be seen, though when quizzed about Episode VIII by Vogue, the breakout star responded as so: “[The script is] great. Much darker, but we’re very excited… My part in the next film will be much more physical so I might be in the gym a bit more.”
It’s interesting that Boyega notes that the early script that has been turned in for Star Wars: Episode VIII is “much darker” than The Force Awakens, as that would align Disney’s rebooted trilogy closely with the originals, when the seminal Empire Strikes Back served as the second installment. And while that’s all very intriguing, here’s hoping that Episode VIII doesn’t hue too closely to what has come before – a criticism levelled at Abrams’ film in that it stuck to the tried and tested formula of A New Hope.
Star Wars: Episode VIII has been penciled in for a release on May 26, 2017. Last we reported on Rian Johnson’s numerical entry into the universe, Diary Of A Teenage Girl actress Bel Powley had reportedly cropped up on Disney’s radar, while the script that Boyega refers to is seemingly so good that Abrams regrets not agreeing to direct it.
