John Boyega Calls Out Racist Backlash From 'Star Wars' Fans

In the Star Wars universe, it is not an unlikely thing to see a good character turn evil or an evil one turn good. The whole Skywalker saga is about the character of Anakin Skywalker turning from good to evil to back to good. These turns are often total swaps, completely different ends of the scale.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The inaugural Soho House Awards, hosted by Stanley Tucci, were presented Thursday night in London. Honorees included actors John Boyega, Ellie Bamber (“Les Misérables”), Yasmin Finney (“Heartstopper”), Evan Mock (“Gossip Girl) and Paapa Essideu (“I May Destory You”) and makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury. Musicians Michael Kiwanuka and Self Esteem were honored and also performed during the event. The gala was held at 180 House and broadcast across Soho House’s digital platforms, including Instagram and TikTok. Olympic diver Tom Daley presented the statuettes, known as the Golden Picante awards, to the honorees.

reported Empire Magazine. “It’s just at this point a matter of schedule and when it can happen. I’ve stayed close to Kathleen [Kennedy] and we get together often and talk about it,” Johnson told the publication, referring to the Lucasfilm president. “It would break my heart if I were finished, if I couldn’t get back in that sandbox at some point.”Johnson’s trilogy was announced in 2017 after his “Star Wars” directorial debut and had promised to feature “new characters from a corner of the galaxy that ‘Star Wars’ lore has never before explored,” according to IndieWire, which added that a parallel tagline was echoed by “Thor: Love and Thunder” director Taika Waititi — who is slated to have a “Star Wars” film in 2025.Johnson’s comments track with those made by Kennedy at the Star Wars Celebration earlier this year.

It’s been years since it was announced that Rian Johnson would take on a new “Star Wars” trilogy that was seemingly disconnected from the Skywalker Saga. But since that announcement, all we’ve heard is talk from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about how it will still happen eventually and Rian Johnson saying that he would still like to do it.

Zack Sharf For many “Star Wars” fans, John Boyega included, the axed “Duel of the Fates” movie will forever be the best “Star Wars” film never made. “Duel of the Fates” was the original script written for Episode IX, which was to be directed by “Jurassic World” filmmaker Colin Trevorrow. When he exited the project over creative differences, Lucasfilm brought in “The Force Awakens” helmer J.J. Abrams to finish the trilogy with an overhauled script that would become “The Rise of Skywalker.” The “Duel of the Fates” script leaked online in January 2020, revealing a far different film than what Abrams crafted with the polarizing “The Rise of Skywalker” (there was no Palpatine, for starters). Whereas Abrams was widely panned for sidelining characters like John Boyega’s Finn and Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose, Trevorrow’s script gave these characters their own adventure as the two set out to lead a Stormtrooper rebellion against the First Order. This storyline brought Finn’s arc full circle, as he started out in “The Force Awakens” as a defected Stormtrooper.

If you’re a fan of the “Star Wars” franchise, it’s sad to see how the sequel trilogy ended with a thud instead of the bang it deserves. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” was meant to be this celebratory ending that would make fans cheer and bring to a close a series of films dating back decades.

John Boyega, who was the actor behind the ex-Stormtrooper turned Resistance fighter Finn, has made it known to everyone that his time making the Star Wars sequels was not a good one. Even though Boyega had such a negative experience he is still a big Star Wars fan and keeps up with all the latest projects, most recently talking about the Obi-Wan Kenobi show that streamed on Disney Plus. One of the biggest problems John Boyega had was the lack of meaningful representation throughout the trilogy.

The prop gun that Harrison Ford used in his role of Han Solo in the 1977 film Star Wars sold for over $1 million at an auction last week.The iconic 'blaster,' a converted Mauser pistol modified to only shoot blanks, is the last of three created for use in the film.According to the Rock Island Auction company that hosted the event, the DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol was expected to secure a bid of around $500,000. Still, an avid fan exceeded their projections at $1,057,000 to win.

It’s been years since it was announced that Rian Johnson would take on a new “Star Wars” trilogy that was seemingly disconnected from the Skywalker Saga. But since that announcement, all we’ve heard is talk from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about how it will still happen eventually and Rian Johnson saying that he would still like to do it.

The prop gun that Harrison Ford used in his role of Han Solo in the 1977 film Star Wars sold for over $1 million at an auction last week.The iconic 'blaster,' a converted Mauser pistol modified to only shoot blanks, is the last of three created for use in the film.According to the Rock Island Auction company that hosted the event, the DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol was expected to secure a bid of around $500,000. Still, an avid fan exceeded their projections at $1,057,000 to win.

nothing is a match for a good blaster at your side — and it seems he was right. The original gun held by Harrison Ford in the original “Star Wars” film sold for more than $1 million at an auction held over the weekend, reports TMZ.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “Star Wars” super couple Han Solo and Leia Organa survived the rebellion and each other long enough to start a family and have a son, Ben Solo, who would (SPOILER ALERT) eventually betray them both and kill his dad with a lightsaber.

With less than a month to go before Star Wars: Andor’s three-episode premiere on Disney Plus where the stories of the early years of the heroic but dark rebel spy Cassian Andor will be told. Andor is set to take place in the year 5 BBY with BBY meaning before the battle of Yavin aka the first Death Star. So Andor takes place five years before the events of Rogue One and A New Hope as both of those movies take place in 0 BBY.

In December 2019, “The Rise Of Skywalker” wrapped up the latest “Star Wars” trilogy, and the fan and critical response was, at best, an exasperated shrug. After Rian Johnson‘s iconoclastic take on the galaxy far, far away with “The Last Jedi,” J.J.

John Boyega knows that people are comparing him to Denzel Washington, but he’s not here for it.

John Boyega will never forget the first time he met his “Breaking” co-star Michael K. Williams. “He was bubbly,” Boyega told Variety at the Los Angeles premiere for the film on Wednesday. “The first time I met him, he accidentally walked into my trailer. We spoke, and we cheered each other on, gave each other words of encouragement, which is very important. And from then on, we were on set working. And it was great.” “Breaking” marks Williams’ last film before he passed away almost a year ago from a drug overdose at age 54. Karim Anderson, who was raised by Williams and considers him his father, also made an appearance at the premiere. Boyega and Anderson embraced for a moment and shared a few quiet words before continuing into the screening.

The actor who played "Finn" in Disney's "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, John Boyega, says he's ready to move on from the franchise.  Currently, Boyega is set to star in the upcoming films "The Woman King" and "Breaking."  "At this point I’m cool off it. I’m good off it," Boyega said on the SiriusXM show "Tell Me Everything With John Fugelsang."  "I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation. But I feel like ‘[Episode] VII’ to ‘[Episode] IX’ was good for me," he added.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor John Boyega has never shied away from speaking out about the racist bullying he received for his work as Finn in the “Star Wars” franchise. Things got so bad, he convened a meeting with Disney and Lucasfilm execs to express his disappointment in their lack of support during the targeted attacks. While Boyega has now said he has no plans to return to “Star Wars,” he’s proud of “Obi-Wan” star Ewan McGregor coming to his co-star Moses Ingram’s defense after she became the target of online hate when their series premiered on Disney+ in May. “I don’t know how Disney have done, and I don’t know how they’ve moved with everything,” Boyega tells me on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “All I know is about specifically Lucasfilm, about the Obi-Wan Kenobi stuff. And I saw that Ewan McGregor video. And that kind of got me, that was nice. That got me a little emotional on that. That’s cool that he showed up for her like that. That’s cool.”

John Boyega may not be returning to the world of  but he still appreciates seeing the franchise take a step toward changing for the better. During an appearance on SiriusXM’s , Boyega praised studios Disney and Lucasfilm for their timely response to the fan harassment of  star Moses Ingram.Speaking with Fugelsang, the Breaking actor said he didn't feel any bitterness comparing the difference in how the studios' responded to the racism he faced while staring in the sequel series.«That's how it goes, man,» he said, acknowledging how his experience made Disney and Lucasfilm reevaluate how they handle fan harassment. «I felt Moses Ingram being protected makes me feel protected.