John Boyega: Star Wars Episode VIII to be “Darker” in Tone, “Bigger” in Scope.
John Boyega, one of the lead stars of Star Wars Episode VIII, was recently interviewed when he was present at the Cannes Film Festival, touching upon Finn’s character arc, possible romance, and the general approach that will be applied to the movie. Bel Powley, who was a frontrunner for a part in the film, is also briefly interviewed.
From Variety:
Variety: So tell me, you’re shooting the next Star Wars installment?
Boyega: Yes, I’m in the thick of it now so it’s nice to be here, see the view and then go back.
Variety: And then, straight back into the shoot?
Boyega: Yes, straight back.
Variety: I loved the developing romance between your character, Finn and Rey in The Force Awakens. How is that romance evolving in the next chapter?
Boyega: I mean, we didn’t establish a romance in seven; we never played it that way. Daisy and I, we’re friends.
Variety: So there’s no romance?
Boyega: Yes, Finn and Rey – they’re just friends. Finn is a stormtrooper, so he doesn’t really know what’s going on. So the romance thing is something that’s going to be interesting in the next installment. It’s not going to go the way you think it’s going to go.
Variety: And how is it working with Rian Johnson after having worked with J.J. Abrams?
Boyega: It’s very easy. Rian Johnson is great. It’s a different take, darker, bigger. Someone will say: “How do you get bigger than Force Awakens?” But it’s crazy.
Variety: Does your character get darker?
Boyega: My skin color does because of the heat on the job! That’s me dodging your question because Disney has spies everywhere. If I answer this, I get killed, and I’m not in episode nine.
Variety: Would you be open to play in a movie like Star Wars?
Powley: Well, now I know that he doesn’t have a love interest in Star Wars, I’m like kind of. It’s a possibility. It’s an option.
Boyega: Sounds good! Like a Star Wars spinoff.
Variety: What’s the next indie movie that you’re going to shoot?
Boyega: Well, I’m going back to Star Wars and after that I’m going to take a break. For like two weeks.
Variety: How many Star Wars did you commit to?
Boyega: We’re doing a trilogy (7, 8, 9).
Variety: You’re not afraid of being stereotyped in a certain role? Your role in Star Wars is all over the world and people might associate your character with you.
Boyega: They will, for the rest of my life, but it’s no big deal.
The full interview is linked to above; the Star Wars-related bits are just brought here. Just a hunch, but I get the feeling that Kelly Marie Tran’s character could be involved in whatever romantic exploits Finn runs into, since it was rumored that she had chemistry tests with John Boyega to nab the role.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
I love that comment about Finn getting darker. <3
I wonder what he means by bigger than TFA, if he means the scope of the story, the number of actors, the amount of special effects, a second Starkiller Base that can destroy TWO star systems?
Man I love not knowing much about VIII. And man I hate not knowing much about VIII.
And Poe + Finn is coming
DadaDAdun
The focus of TFA’s story was on Rey, Finn, Han Solo and Kylo Ren. While the Resistance and the First Order were there, their conflict served as a background for main heroes’ adventures. What I understand from John’s comments is that the huge galactic conflict between the Resistance and the First Order will be in the spotlight.
Yes, something like the difference between “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Two Towers”.
I hope there will be some major battle, like the battle of Hoth, or, better, the battle of Endor or Coruscant 🙂
Awesome Comparison!
I’m confident he refers to the fact that in ep. VII, other than the Jakku ship cemetery there wasn’t anything vast. No big space battles, only TIEs vs X-wings, a single castle and such. In VIII it seems that we’ll possibly have some great space battles, we already saw that there’s possibly a huge city-planet, and various “bigger” environments.
The thought of the legend, Luke Skywalker, leading a squadron of X-Wings piloted by Finn, Poe and a newly trained Rey….into battle is just too good.
Add to that, Luke reportedly held on to his classic-era ship :0
Poe + Finn….. LOL….that’s not happening, dude.
they can easily make it feel bigger by simply showing the freaking galaxy instead of three planets that look like everything weve already seem
a second Starkiller Base that can destroy TWO star systems?
The First Order becomes so desperate and brutal that they install a superweapon that destroys the entire galaxy by first imploding upon activation. I can already imagine Poe and Finn infiltrating the base arriving on an empty bridge only to discover a hand written note by captain phasma saying: We saved you the trouble of blowing it up moofmilkers. and then BOOM!
Well, let’s hope it’s not that dark like in Revenge of the Sith because things were already dark in The Force Awakens.
Agree with Pomojema, any potential romance for Finn will occur with Kelly Marie Tran’s character. Rey’s search for belonging is with Luke, and learning the ways of the force.
Or they could go with a Poe/Finn pairing to satisfy the shippers. 😛
Seriously, though, I get the feeling that Rey may have unrequited feelings for Finn that could be a source of angst for her. Or, alternately, she just views him as a very good friend, and would be fine with him winding up with somebody else. There are multiple ways to interpret that smooch she plants on Finn’s forehead. Maybe he angsts over who he’s going to wind up with.
– Pomojema
He’s in the friend zone. A kiss s on the lips & it would be different.
Why would you kiss a comatose guy on the mouth? Besides, Leia kissed Han similarly when he was injured.
Disney is known to have guys kiss comatose chicks on the lips all the time… Snow white, Sleeping Beauty, anyone?
Did it ever occur to you that Finn has genuine chemistry with everyone?
Poe, Finn, and Rey all had great chemistry with everyone. Hell, Poe was so suave that he could be in a relationship with BB8 and I would have believed it.
Impossible to watch TFA and not see the homoerotic overtones between Finn and Poe now, Even moreso than the two male friends in Nightmare On Elm Street 2 – Freddy’s Revenge. Unlike making Luke gay, It makes total sense for those characters to be romantically involved considering they had more chemistry than Leia/Han in VII.
Up there with the best of the best (Top Gun).
Hope the sequel is about how Maverick dumps Iceman for a younger model after he goes to pot in between films.
I think people read way too much into the relationship between Finn and Poe in TFA!
http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/finnpoelipbite.gif
Suuuuuure.
There’s no suggestion at all that either one of them are straight while there are plenty of examples why Finn is not.
You are wrong. The romance will be between Finn and Chewbacca!!! XD
Did the interviewer even see the movie.
Yeah, I am glad that Boyega finally clarified that they are making a TRILOGY!!! I had been wondering if there was going to be a third one! 😉
Rian is going to blow this one out of the park. This is just the kind of project he can excel in. By the way, watching TFA on Blue Ray at home is a amazing experience. The movie is excellent when your sitting on the couch with your kids and there are no overblown expectations.
And the sound?
Blu *Rey*
badum tss
“It’s bigger / darker”
“It really feels like an independent film”
_______
Comments like these from Boyega (and Isaac) are nice, but completely relative to their experience. Of course, to a single actor, it’s going to feel like a small film because you’re working on your particular part.
I’ll take originality over bigger and darker anyday. Fortunately, They seem to be keeping to that so far.
I hope we get less of Finn and more of Snoke.