John Boyega felt like 'an elephant in the room' when he faced racist backlash for Star Wars

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.

EXCLUSIVE: Clea DuVall (The First Lady), Shane Paul McGhie (American Skin), Angel Desai (NCIS: New Orleans), newcomer Jasmine Aiyana Garvin and Leslie Silva (Women of the Movement) have joined the cast of Peacock’s Poker Face, a mystery drama series starring Natasha Lyonne, from Rian Johnson, his T-Street banner and MRC Television.

Lady In The Lake was paused on Friday (August 26) in Baltimore after an unknown assailant brandished a gun a crew members.Production on the Apple TV+ series, which stars Natalie Portman, Moses Ingram, Y’Lan Noel, Mikey Madison and Brett Gelman, was halted as a precautionary measure.Variety reports that the Baltimore police department confirmed to the publication that a group of locals approached producers working a shoot on Park Avenue in the downtown area at around 4pm on Friday.The group threatened to return that evening to shoot somebody if filming didn’t stop, and they also told crew that $50,000 would have to be paid before production could resume.The Park Avenue shoot has since be scrapped and another location is being sought following the threat, the police added.Series producer Endeavor Content said in a statement: “Friday afternoon, on the Baltimore set of our production Lady In The Lake, prior to the arrival of the cast and crew, per their call time, a driver on our production crew was confronted by two men, one of whom brandished a gun directed at our driver, and then they fled the location.“We are working with the Baltimore Police Department as the investigation is ongoing. The safety and security of our crew, cast and all who work across our productions is our highest priority, and we are thankful no one was injured.

Filming has temporarily been paused on the set of the new Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake.

An Apple TV+ series filming in Baltimore stopped production Friday after several people threatened the producers and tried to extort money from them, Baltimore police said.

J. Kim Murphy The Baltimore production of the Apple TV+ series “Lady in the Lake” was halted on Friday afternoon after the producers decided to “err on the side of caution” after receiving threats of violence. The Baltimore police department confirmed that a group of locals contacted producers working a shoot on Park Avenue in the downtown area at around 4 p.m. on Friday. The group threatened to return in the evening to shoot somebody if production didn’t cease. Producers were also told to pay a sum of $50,000 to the group before production would be allowed to continue. Leaders on the series elected to reschedule filming and look for another location after receiving the message, according to the police department.

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.

EXCLUSIVE: Juno Films has acquired rights to the experimental drama The Same Storm, from writer-director Peter Hedges (Ben Is Back), for distribution in the U.S., Canada and the UK. The film will open at the Quad Cinema in NYC and the Laemmle Santa Monica on October 14.

John Boyega says he felt “peace” following Disney’s recent handling of racist backlash to black characters in the Star Wars universe. The British actor said the company’s response to abuse directed at Moses Ingram, who starred in the Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff series alongside Ewan McGregor, “fulfils my time where I didn’t get the support”. Disney and McGregor both released public statements directly addressing the racist messages sent to Ingram and expressing solidarity with the actress.

John Boyega is opening up about the racist backlash he experienced when portraying Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.The 30-year-old British actor played Finn in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, though he said he'd never play the character again.Boyega spoke with John Fugelsang on his Sirius XM radio show, revealing that the inaction on Disney's part when it came to racist trolls, in essence, paved the way for the studio to stand up for Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram when trolls targeted her. Opening up: John Boyega is opening up about the racist backlash he experienced when portraying Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy Finn: The 30-year-old British actor played Finn in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerHe began by explaining his thoughts on social media as a whole, stating, 'Right now you go on social media, it feels like algebra to me.''Two plus two is four.

John Boyega has expressed “frustration” with Disney’s kid-gloves handling of fan protests when he was cast as a “Black Stormtrooper” in 2015’s The Force Awakens. But the British actor says he’s made peace with it after seeing how differently the company recently handled similar fan criticism of Moses Ingram in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

John Boyega is opening up about his experience with Star Wars.

Star Wars animated shows have driven the franchise very far for many years. The Clone Wars brings in a now fan-favorite character Ashoka Tano, Rebels leading the way for Kenobi and the Fallen Order series, and the most recent is Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Even though you can trace John Boyega’s real Hollywood breakout back to his role in “Attack the Block,” it wasn’t until he showed up in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” that the actor became a household name. And it’s because Boyega is a fine actor and is one of the best parts of the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, that fans were shocked and saddened to see his role as Finn keep diminishing with each new film.