John Boyega says he expected Finn’s arc to push further into Jedi territory — and even collide with Rey’s — when he first signed on to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Speaking at a fan convention in Boston, the actor explained that after reading the script for The Force Awakens he assumed Finn would train in the Force and that the story might position him and Rey on opposing paths, in a rivalry echoing an earlier master–apprentice split in the saga. He framed it as the direction he believed the films were headed, not as an unfulfilled promise or a new plan.
Hints about Finn’s sensitivity to the Force appeared throughout the trilogy, from his lightsaber use in the first film to late-stage dialogue in The Rise of Skywalker, though the character never formally embarked on Jedi training on screen. That gap has lingered for many viewers who expected a more explicit evolution for the former stormtrooper after initial marketing and story beats suggested a larger role in the mythic side of the franchise.
Boyega’s comments arrive while Lucasfilm continues to develop a Rey-centered feature set years after The Rise of Skywalker, with Daisy Ridley returning to portray a Jedi rebuilding the order. The project was announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2023 with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy directing; schedules and start dates have shifted during development, and the studio has not announced any casting connected to Finn. The actor has not been named to new Star Wars projects since the trilogy concluded.
The remarks also reflect ongoing conversation about how the sequels apportioned their heroic arcs. Finn’s journey from First Order conscript to Resistance leader remains central to the trilogy’s ground-level storytelling, while Rey’s path carried most of the spiritual weight tied to the Force. Fans and commentators continue to debate what an alternative version might have explored — for example, dual Jedi protagonists whose bond bends under pressure — and whether future films could revisit any part of that idea.
