John Boyega Wanted to Prove Abilities Outside of ‘Star Wars’

The ‘Star Wars’ franchise is probably the biggest film franchise to ever exist. Spanning multiple decades, countless books, and 10+ movies at the time of this writing — it’s a big deal to be included in the world. John Boyega is the young man who took up the role of embattled Empire Trooper, Finn. Boyega made a splash in ‘Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens’ and his success came as a huge surprise. For the majority of watchers at home Boyega was a fresh face in cinema, having mostly stuck to lower budget projects in the U.K. With this mindset, Boyega wanted to prove himself as more than just a ‘Star Wars’ wonder.

Older fans of the young and talented John Boyega will likely know him from the cult alien invasion flick, ‘Attack the Block’. Despite the critical reception and strong cult backing, ‘Block’ never really took off here in the United States. So, Boyega decided to do something about his career in order to show people that he has the talent to hang with the other amazing actors in the ‘Star Wars’ universe. After the success of ‘The Force Awakens’ Boyega would immediately begin working on several huge projects, co-starring with some of Hollywood’s greatest along the way.

The most recent film that Boyega worked on was ‘Detroit’ which was directed by Kathryn Bigelow. This hard hitting film touches on racial tension during a divisive and dangerous time in the city of Detroit. Boyega would also work with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson on the thriller, ‘The Circle’. While ‘The Circle’ was largely passed over by critics and audience members alike, the film still served to show Boyega in another flexible role. Finally, Boyega is anchoring another sci-fi franchise with his starring role in the film ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’. Boyega joined ‘Uprising’ to play the son of Idris Elba’s character from the first film, directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

Hollywood has been largely bereft of young A-List talent for the past ten or so years. John Boyega’s unlikely rise to Hollywood’s new leading man bodes well for a change in the tide.