John Boyega didn’t really mince words when he went after the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy a few weeks back, which gave a lot of footing to avid Disney critics who think that the House of Mouse dropped the ball with the last two movies in the Skywalker Saga.
The Rise of Skywalker, in particular, has generated quite a lot of discourse ever since premiering late last year. While many Last Jedi loyalists bashed the film for giving in to fan requests and going against the themes that Rian Johnson had set up, most folks voiced their dissatisfaction with the general resolution of the narrative as a whole. Add that to the fact that Episode IX is undeniably convoluted and rushed, and you’ll realize why J.J. Abrams’ concluding flick is as controversial as its predecessor, if not more.
What Boyega discussed, meanwhile, has a bit to do with all of these points. The actor seemed more disgruntled by the way Disney handled Finn rather than the narrative choices themselves. As he explained, Lucasfilm marketed the first film by heavily focusing on Boyega as a black lead. This obviously regressed with each installment, until, in his own words, they gave all the “nuance” to Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley while undermining the rest of the cast.
Now, Boyega has revealed that an executive reached out to him after the scandalous interview to discuss the issue. As he explained in a new interview with THR:
“It was a very honest, a very transparent conversation,” He said. “There was a lot of explaining on their end in terms of the way they saw things. They gave me a chance also to explain what my experience was like. I’d hope that me being so open with my career, at this stage, would help the next man, the guy that wants to be the assistant DOP, the guy that wants to be a producer. I hope that the conversation is not such a taboo or elephant in the room now, because someone just came and said it.”
In fairness, they’re trying, so we’ve got to give them that. But with all the controversy surrounding the Sequel Trilogy, it’s safe to say that Disney will have a difficult time selling their next batch of Star Wars movies to the fandom in the upcoming years.