Star Wars' John Boyega addresses MCU role rumours

Star Wars actor John Boyega has finally addressed rumours that he's joining the MCU.

Boyega has been at the centre of speculation from comic book fans over the last few years. One unconfirmed report from May claimed that he had already filmed a secret Marvel role, and another rumour in 2021 claimed he was going to be involved in the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels.

In a new profile interview, Boyega has addressed the rumours and explained that he's looking to work on much smaller projects, at least for the time being.

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"That’s not in the vision for me now," he told Men's Health. "I want to do nuanced things.

"I want to donate my services to original indie films that come with new, fresh ideas, because I know it's real hard to top Iron Man in that universe."

His agent, Femi Oguns, added that generally speaking, Boyega is most interested in making history through his work, and playing his part in disrupting the industry.

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"For John, it was never about trying to fit into the box. He wants to be the outline of the box," he explained. "For John, it's all about accountability. He doesn't want to be defined by any stereotypical roles."

Boyega made his movie debut in Attack the Block and rose to international stardom when he was cast to play Finn in the newest trilogy of Star Wars films.

After the release of The Rise of Skywalker at the end of 2019, Boyega criticised Disney for making a Black character seem more important in the marketing than they were in the films, and lamented Finn's diminishing role in each passing instalment of the trilogy.

He later added that he had a "really nice transparent, honest conversation" with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, which was "beneficial for both of us".

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Last year, Boyega opened up about being shocked by the reaction to his comments.

"I just saw a cycle of endless baiting that I wanted to call out. I was kind of surprised that people were so like, 'Bloody hell... [that he was speaking out],'" he told The Times. "I love Robert Pattinson but he gets to talk shit about his films, [so] why can't I?"

Boyega has also previously praised the promotion of Anthony Mackie's Falcon to the role of Captain America in the MCU.

"We've got people now watching Falcon And The Winter Soldier, and a lot of people have been commenting about the elevation of Falcon's character – right? – in the series and how they've really done well with bringing him up, which I also agree as well," he said.

"That's because you give characters these special moments, you know?"

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the entire Skywalker Saga are available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now, as well as on Disney+, while Rise of Skywalker is also on Sky Cinema Premiere and NOW.