I was holding out hope that we would see John Boyega return to the role of Finn in Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie, rumored to be тιтled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, but after Boyega’s most recent interview, I sadly think that’s very unlikely. John Boyega directly called out racism in Star Wars in a recent interview, highlighting not only how few Black characters have been in Star Wars movies and TV shows—especially in leading roles—but also how resistant to Black characters the Star Wars fandom is.

This isn’t the first time Boyega and other actors of color have addressed the franchise’s issue with racism. Following the backlash to The Acolyte and The Acolyte’s cancelation, many actors from that show voiced their disappointment and frustration with the outright vitriol they’d experienced in response and the franchise’s reticence to address these online attacks. Even with this history, I’d (perhaps naively) hoped we’d see Boyega’s return, but John Boyega’s interview suggests that his return is all but out of the question.

John Boyega Was Badly Burned By Star Wars In The Past

Everyone Thought Finn Was Going To Be A Jedi

While this issue extends beyond just John Boyega’s experience playing Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy—it’s much more widespread than that—Boyega has plenty of personal reasons for being frustrated with this pattern in Star Wars. Specifically, everyone (including Boyega himself) believed Finn was going to be a Jedi in the sequel trilogy. In fact, many believed he was going to be the Jedi in the sequel trilogy.

Marketing for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and many scenes within that movie heavily hinted that Finn was a Jedi, which included him wielding Anakin Skywalker’s iconic blue lightsaber multiple times. Finn was even the first of the sequel trilogy characters to face off against Kylo Ren, the movie’s leading dark side Force user (though not a full-fledged Sith); Rey was much more hesitant to do so. Yet, Finn’s Force-sensitivity was never overtly confirmed in the sequels.

Worse still, Finn was clearly sidelined in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He had a relatively prominent role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi given his arc with Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), yet both Finn and Rose were shockingly absent from most of The Rise of Skywalker. Some may try to claim this had nothing to do with race, but two of the most important sequel trilogy characters, both of whom are played by actors of color, being pushed to the side doesn’t feel coincidental, especially because Star Wars faced backlash for these characters.

Fans Have Been Hoping For Boyega’s Return

Finn Is A Beloved Character And Boyega Is A Beloved Actor

New Jedi Order is among Star Wars’ upcoming movies getting the most attention, and many were hoping to see John Boyega return and reprise his role as Finn in the movie. With New Jedi Order set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker in the Star Wars timeline, this felt like a way to ameliorate some of the damage done, if not entirely improve Finn’s arc. One prominent theory was that Finn would have been trained by Rey in the time since The Rise of Skywalker, perhaps even leading the Jedi Order alongside her as a Jedi Master.

While this obviously couldn’t change what was done with his character in the sequels, it would at least finally give Finn (and Boyega, by extension) the story he always deserved. This would also be a win for the franchise in general, as Finn becoming a Jedi would offer something truly new in Star Wars: an ex-stormtrooper becoming a Jedi for the very first time. This was a thrilling prospect in the sequels, and, although that trilogy wasted the opportunity, it would still be exciting to see in New Jedi Order.

Boyega’s Latest Comments Suggest He Wouldn’t Want To Play The “Best Friend”

Finn Still Wouldn’t Be A Lead, So John Boyega Is Unlikely To Come Back

Unfortunately, John Boyega’s interview really does seem to suggest we won’t be seeing him on the Star Wars screen again. In the same interview, Boyega explained:

“They’re okay with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s just a bit too much! They’re pandering!'”

This heavily hints (rightly so) that Boyega would not be willing to return to Star Wars just to play second fiddle to other characters, especially white characters, which would almost certainly be the case in New Jedi Order.

Daisy Ridley’s Rey is currently the only character confirmed for New Jedi Order, and The Rise of Skywalker obviously positioned her as the future of the Jedi. This makes it clear that she will continue to be the lead in New Jedi Order just as she was in the sequels. Ironically, though, Ridley herself said Rey’s story can’t continue without Finn and Poe. Sadly, she and Lucasfilm may not have a choice in the matter, based on how Boyega is feeling.

Honestly, I can’t blame Boyega for feeling this way, and I would certainly never begrudge him for choosing not to return. I share Boyega’s view both in terms of how Finn, Rose, and other characters (and actors) of color were treated throughout the sequels and regarding the need for Star Wars/Lucasfilm to finally address the issues of racism within the fanbase and the franchise. Still, I’m saddened to realize that the odds of John Boyega returning as Finn in Star Wars: New Jedi Order are seeming slimmer all the time.