‘Luke Skywalker Wouldn’t Be Disappearing on a Rock’ — John Boyega Says Star Wars Sequels Would Have Been Very Different if He Had Been in Charge

Star Wars actor John Boyega has said that Disney’s sequel trilogy would have looked very different if he had been in charge.

Speaking at Florida Supercon 2025, in remarks reported by Popverse, Boyega said fans “would have had a completely different thing” if he had been allowed to become a producer on the films, which ultimately released to a mixed reception from fans.

Key to the changes Boyega would make, he said, would be a different handling of the saga’s original heroes Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, who were killed off in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, respectively.

“First of all, we’re not getting rid of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, all these people,” Boyega said. “We’re not doing that. The first thing we’re going to do is fulfill their story, fulfill their legacy. We’re going to make a good moment of handing on the baton.”

While the death of Han Solo at the hands of his son Kylo Ren is a sad moment, Harrison Ford has previously discussed only wanting to return to the role so he could be killed off, in order to bring closure to his character’s story and emotional weight to the saga. Alas, Boyega did not elaborate on how Solo’s arc might have continued.

“Our new characters will not be OP’d [overpowered] in these movies,” Boyega continued, referencing the sequel trilogy’s fresh heroes. “They won’t just grab stuff and know what to do with it. No. You’ve got to struggle like every other character in this franchise. I’d do that.”

In The Force Awakens, Boyega’s character of Finn begins the film as an Imperial Stormtrooper, while Daisy Ridley’s Rey is a scavenger who learns she has Force powers. Rey spends the rest of the trilogy training, while it’s slowly hinted that Finn also has Force sensitivity.

“I’d look to the Old Republic stories, and see what we can add to the continuation of that,” Boyega said, discussing additional sources of inspiration from the Star Wars canon he’d want to work in. The Old Republic Era takes place from between 25,000 to 1,000 years before Star Wars: A New Hope. Alas, it’s also unclear what elements Boyega would have drawn from.

“I would definitely want to see Force Unleashed stories in there,” he continued, now referencing the Xbox 360-era video games. “I would try to expand the Star Wars universe as much as possible while respecting the lore. If we’re expanding the lore, we have to do it in within the respective boundaries that stay true.”

“But Luke Skywalker wouldn’t be disappearing on a rock,” he concluded, “Hell no. Standing there and he’s, like, a projector? I would want to give those characters way more, way more.”

After a break of several years, Star Wars will return to theaters next year for The Manadalorian and Grogu. Fans were treated to a fresh trailer this week, featuring Sigorney Weaver, Zeb in live-action, and a fresh Razor Crest.

Image credit: Barry Brecheisen/WireImage.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social