In December of 2019 following The Rise of Skywalker‘s release, John Boyega was asked about a potential small screen return to Star Wars after the long-running sci-fi franchise kicked off its episodic expansion with The Mandalorian. His response; “You ain’t going to Disney Plus me!”.
Obviously, people in Hollywood backtrack on their words all the time, and the actor’s dissatisfaction at how Finn’s arc was ultimately handled in the Sequel Trilogy means there would be an air of unfinished business about any hypothetical comeback. Just last month, it was reported that the Star Wars feature film in development from J.D. Dillard and Matt Owens was being reworked as a TV series, with Boyega’s former Stormtrooper said to be the focus.
We’re now hearing from our own sources – the same ones who told us Hayden Christensen was returning as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi long before it was confirmed – that Disney and Lucasfilm are reportedly planning to move forward on the project, which is presumably entirely dependent on Boyega’s willingness to return to a galaxy far, far away.
The Golden Globe-winning actor has been highly critical of Star Wars in the past, but he’s mended those bridges with Kathleen Kennedy, and maintains huge respect for both the Lucasfilm president and J.J. Abrams. Most problems in the industry can be solved by throwing money at them, and making Boyega an offer too good to turn down may convince him to rejoin the saga on streaming.
