John Boyega on The Last Jedi Changing Finns Force-Sensitive Trajectory; His Episode IX Meeting With Trevorrow, and More

Any lingering notions out there that the Sequel Trilogy story arc was mapped out from the outset should have been shattered for all times by John Boyega's comments in that podcast. Boyega said:

And when asked about Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX script, Boyega said:

Clearly JJ's original idea -- and Colin Trevorrow's plans -- were different for Finn. I'm still trying to figure out why those original plans for Finn were changed in TLJ.

 

I think TLJ did pretty good with Finn...he started out 'comedic' but post the escape from Canto Bight, he was anything but. He got to kill Phasma and he would have died for the rebellion at the end. John Boyega has a lot of affection for Abrams, but his character was trashed in TROS; he spent most of the film running around shouting: 'REY'. I was hoping he'd lead a stormtrooper rebellion, another disappointment.

 

Boyega seems to confirm that nobody knew where it was going to go when making VII, but then says it took a different direction in VIII. Which doesn't make sense. Different from what?

His comments sound familiar to a lot of fans. They could imagine some desirable destinations on the horizon and concluded that that the trajectory was plotted by episode VII in order to get them there. Finn being nearly killed by Kylo Ren while Rey was the one who would step forward to show that she was the one who was strong with the force instead doesn't sound to me like it's an obvious trajectory towards Finn becoming a Jedi. It sounds like the opposite of that. John is great but he doesn't sound all that different from some MCU fans who claim that the whole franchise was plotted from the start in order for Pepper to replace Tony as Iron Man and Queen of all the Avengers.

 

Different from the general story arc that was in place when JJ filmed TFA. It makes sense because RJ took the second film in a different direction from the story outline that was previously planned.

Let's be crystal clear here: John Boyega wasn't 'a fan' with 'desirable destinations' in mind. He was one of the primary members of the cast who had access to the director responsible for the ST's grand finale.

 

Basically, @Martoto, there was a plan outlined if the purpose of the argument is to decry Johnson & TLJ, but there was not a plan outlined if the purpose of the argument is to decray the quality of the ST as a whole.

 

The very notion that there's a debate over whether there was any three-film story arc in place when TFA was filmed speaks for itself.

 

His recollection of what was supposedly planned to happen and what wound up happening instead makes him sound like many fans. Contradictory passages make it sound like he never really knew, or knew that nothing was promised, projected or actually planned.

Abrams only wanted to make one movie. He had no plans or desire for making or authoring two more Star Wars movies when agreeing to make TFA. As a writer though, I can totally understand how he might have chosen to envision a larger story for his TFA to be the start of. Rather than just pretend he had.

But knowing that the deal he made with LFL meant that the director of episode VIII would have basically the same autonomy and freedom he did, there's no way that he would have spent considerable time planning or discussing the next two movies and expressly made TFA to optimally fit the coming episodes as he envisioned them. Of course Abrams isn't going to tell the cast "Well here's your characters but god knows what might happen to them in the next movie or the one after that. It's not my problem so pardon me if I don't sweat the small stuff. Action!" More likely he gave John some reassurance, like the fact that he wasn't going to be the hapless fish out of water, out of the fire and into the frying pan victim like he is for most of TFA. Probably told him that it could be that Finn does a complete 180 and he's an alpha Jedi who ain't fraid of no Siths by the end of the trilogy. But there was no way that Abrams was saying "Here's your planned outline for three movies. Please accept that role" If he did then that was completely dishonest of Abrams to even allow Boyega to assume that, given the contract he had signed.

I think what Boyega is really expressing here is the sense of being in a large franchise where many people have influence and the actors or stars aren't one of those people. And feeling as if they are at the mercy of the whims of those people instead of just one person which in a weird way makes the actor feel more in control. I can totally sympathise because in these franchises the actors/stars must feel as if they are in the critical firing line for any failures and whatever creative decisions various sections of the audience might reject. They usually are, even if that means just being ridiculed for being subjected to said whims. (How often have you read or saw the glee with which some commentators remark on the supposed changing of Finn's trajectory?)

Also, an actor who is a mainstay in multiple instalments of a franchise is prone to assuming a sense of seniority over the incoming and outgoing "seasonal" crew and cast members.

The most telling thing is Boyega first acknowledging that nobody really knew where things were going to go, but then later claiming that things went off the planned trajectory. That's just a plain contradiction. Understandably John is enhancing the stature of whatever potential threads were discussed and which he regrets never came to pass, in spite of what he's said confirming the known circumstances of each director's relative autonomy. But the grass is always greener. The unrealised potential is always greater than the reality.

 

Okay, as everyone here knows well, I'm an obsessed Kylo/Ben fan, so I wasn't happy with what CT had planned for him, and I thought DameRey was a bit daft...but some of what he'd planned sounded good.
The stormtrooper rebellion
Rey's sabrestaff
The 'grey Jedi' order. Those would have been cool, I think.

 

Even if there had been a plan (which there wasn’t), any “plans” obviously went out the window when they completely “rebooted” the third movie.

 

John Boyega is not afraid.


I like that dude.

 

I still can't believe that for some people, the validity of TLJ is undermined because of a scene in TFA where Finn seems possibly to react about a millisecond before almost everyone else around him does to the blast that's about to destroy the republic. Something that could be explained by Finn being ex FO. Having worked at SKB and knowing what happens when it's fired etc. Like a person who can recognise a certain type of car engine noise and anticipate a certain vehicle before everyone else who just hears the general cacophony of vehicle noise.

 

I never thought Finn not being 'Force sensitive' demeaned him...Han and Lando weren't and were the coolest characters in the OT.