John Boyega has revealed the scrapped storyline for Finn that he wishes had happened in Episode IX.
Star Wars Episode IX had undergone some pretty major changes from the moment the idea for the final movie was conceived to the moment it hit theaters. And part of that change, as we’ve learned previously, had come from Colin Trevorrow stepping down from the film and J.J. Abrams returning to direct the final Skywalker saga installment.
This led to major changes taking place, with huge elements of the plot being overhauled — and part of that included a storyline with John Boyega’s character Finn, who was destined to have a bigger role in this final film. All that, according to Boyega himself, is something he very much wanted to see happened on film. And he’s confirmed in an interview with Yahoo News that Colin Trevorrow’s scrapped script includes the plotline he would have loved to see happen in Episode IX.
In a nutshell, the storyline for Finn included an uprising on the grandest scale. With the help of Poe and Rose, the three would be leading a revolution in Coruscant against the First Order, comprised of all the fed-up people who want a real révolution, with Finn and the others waving flags Les Misérables-style.
Boyega confirmed in the interview:
"I think Colin Trevorrow was going to tell that story. That image of Finn with the blue flag, and you have the AT-ATs lined up with tribal marks, and the stormtroopers take off their helmets. That would have been sick! That would have been dope, man, hands down."
The image he’s referring to comes from Collider, which got its hands on some leaked concept art for Trevoworrow’s Episode IX movie, dubbed back then, Duel of the Fates. You can see that photo on Instagram here.
So what was so important about that moment to Boyega? Simply put, it was going to be his superhero moment. Previously, Boyega had come out against the Star Wars team for essentially sidelining Finn after building him up in the fourth movie. He, or any of the new main characters, never got the same amount of recognition in the story as Rey. And though, arguably, she was the protagonist, it’s no secret that the other characters’ stories fell quite flat through the final episodes of the series.
With that, Boyega added:
"I felt it was important for me to talk about a truth that is embarrassing to talk about. We all know that what makes roles so lucrative [are] the moments you give them. If Captain America isn’t given the scenes to boost his representation, and to make him enjoyable for you guys, we won’t think he’s cool. Why shouldn’t Black characters and Black actors also fight for that same kind of representation? I think it’s a done deal with that."
From his last interview, Boyega made it seem like he was very much over Star Wars and ready to move on. For example, with Disney+’s upcoming LEGO holiday special coming out in November, Boyega was not listed as one of the castmembers returning to voice his character. But, if Lucasfilm were to find some way to adapt this story with Finn, he’d be all for it. Yahoo suggested that perhaps an animated series would do. Boyega responded:
"I’m a Mandalorian fan, so Lucasfilm is doing very well with the TV shows… An animated show would be dope! We could do it from home."
Right now, an animated series adapting this storyline seems a bit far fetched for Lucasfilm to do right now. That is, unless Lucasfilm goes the Marvel way with the What If…? series, where they take a bunch of alternate reality moments from the films and animate them as a completely new story. It sounds to me like that’s exactly what they’re pitching.
Either way, that type of thing would be a long way from now. But it’s good to know Boyega is a fan of The Mandalorian, something that is going pretty strong for Star Wars. Let’s hope we can hear some of his thought when season 2 begins streaming on Oct. 30.
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