Star Wars: John Boyega Defends J.J. Abrams In The Rise Of Skywalker

Finn in The Rise of Skywalker

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

The Star Wars franchise is arguably the most popular in film history, with entire generations of moviegoers brought up on the galaxy far, far away. The beloved property went back into lightspeed thanks to the sequel trilogy, which ended with J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker last December. Abrams was tasked with crafting an appropriate ending for the nine-film Skywalker Saga, and there were plenty out there who took umbrage with his choices. But Finn himself actor John Boyega has come to the filmmaker's defense in this case.

John Boyega starred as Strormtrooper turned Resistance leader in all three of the Star Wars sequel films, beginning with The Force Awakens. That blockbuster was helmed by J.J. Abrams, and he did a ton of world building for the trilogy. He eventually returned for The Rise of Skywalker after Colin Trevorrow departed the project, and took bold narrative choices to wrap up the franchise in a bow. And while there was some backlash to his choices, Boyega stands by Abrams. As he recently explained in an interview,

Everybody needs to leave my boy alone. He wasn’t even supposed to come back and try to save your shit.

Well, that was blunt. Because while John Boyega might have some criticism about the handling of his character throughout Star Wars' sequels, he's still fully behind director J.J. Abrams. Because as he mentioned, Abrams wasn't originally set to helm Episode IX. He was eventually convinced and did his best, but it's not a story he'd originally planned.

John Boyega's comments to GQ are the latest example of how the 28 year-old actor has been using his platform and being honest about his experience working in the Star Wars franchise. Now that his tenure as Finn is in the rear view, Boyega is able to be candid about the galaxy far, far away. And that includes shutting down some trolls along the way.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is streaming on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Before J.J. Abrams returned to the Star Wars franchise for The Rise of Skywalker, Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow was set to helm the blockbuster. His vision for the movie (titled Duel of the Fates) was quite different, but he eventually departed the blockbuster during the development stage. Thats when Abrams came back in, and crafted the story that would eventually make it into theaters for Episode IX.

It should be interesting to see where the Star Wars franchise goes next. The galaxy far, far away will be expanded through live-action shows on Disney+, and Taika Waititi is currently attached to helm his own big screen adventure. But that'll be years down the line, as the Oscar winner will be working on Thor: Love and Thunder first.

CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things Star Wars as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.