Latest news with #TheForceAwakens'
The Hill
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
John Boyega: Star Wars ‘most whitest, elite space'
British actor John Boyega is blasting racism among the Star Wars fanbase — and the creators behind the historic franchise who cave to their demands. 'Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space,' Boyega said in an interview with the new documentary series 'Number One on the Call Sheet.' It's not the first time Boyega has criticized the franchise, previously telling Disney, '[D]o not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It's not good. I'll say it straight up.' Boyega, who played ex-stormtrooper Finn from 2015 to 2019, was initially meant to co-lead in 'The Force Awakens' and 'The Last Jedi,' but wound up with a supporting role in 'The Rise of Skywalker.' At the time, he accused the franchise of giving 'all the nuance' to his white co-stars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. 'You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f— all,' he said. Before the Disney+ spinoffs, the most well-known Black actors in the Star Wars franchise were Billy Dee Williams in the original series and Samuel L. Jackson in the George Lucas-directed prequels. 'They're OK with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it's like, 'Oh my God, it's just a bit too much! They're pandering!'' Boyega said in the new Apple TV+ documentary. The franchise has tried to expand its diversity but has faced major backlash from fans in response. Amandla Stenberg, who starred in 'The Acolyte' before it was canceled, said she faced 'hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudiced hatred and hateful language.' Kelly Marie Tran, who had a main role in 2017's 'The Last Jedi,' deleted her social media after enduring months of racist and sexist abuse. Tran, who is Vietnamese-American, was the first woman of color to play a major role in the series. Boyega said he believes the lack of diversity in Star Wars stems directly from fans who do not want to see non-white actors in the franchise. 'You can always tell it's something when some Star Wars fans try to say, 'Well, we had Lando Calrissian and had Samuel L. Jackson!'' he said. 'It's like telling me how many cookie chips are in the cookie dough. It's like, they just scattered that in there, bro!' Despite his criticism, Boyega said his time with the franchise became a pivotal point for his acting career. ''The Force Awakens' to me was a fundamental moment,' he said. 'We waited months for that. When that big call came in, that's that call that all those stars talk about that changed their life and stuff. It's like, 'That's it? That's the call!' It's such an attack on reality.'
CNN
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
The ‘Star Wars' chief is staying on at Disney, despite a report that she's leaving. At least for now
Rumors that Lucasfilm's longtime president may be leaving Disney have swirled for quite some time. But reports that Kathleen Kennedy will retire at the end of her contract may be jumping the gun. Puck reported Tuesday that Kennedy, who is 72, is expected to step down as president of the storied production company behind the 'Star Wars' franchise before the end of 2025. Several news publishers have followed with their own reports. But a source familiar with the matter tells CNN that's not the case, emphasizing that 'there's nothing there right now.' Any announcement of Kennedy's retirement, if indeed there's anything to announce, will be made 'public' when 'actual decisions are made,' the source told CNN. Lucasfilm did not respond to a request for comment and a spokesperson for Disney did not comment for this story. Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside George Lucas before being named president shortly after Lucas parted ways with the company following Disney's $4-billion acquisition of the company the same year. Kennedy has been hailed for rejuvenating the 'Star Wars' franchise after she helped launch the latest trilogy in the 'Star Wars' universe. While the three installments of the sequel trilogy were massive successes at the domestic box office, the movies were plagued with diminishing returns, with 2015's 'The Force Awakens' from J.J. Abrams pulling in just over $936 million, followed by $620 million for 2018's 'The Last Jedi,' and $515 million for 2019's 'Rise of Skywalker.' Still, the three sequel movies pulled in more domestically than any of the three prequel films. Under Kennedy, Lucasfilm released a new 'Star Wars' movie every year from 2015 to 2019, though these likewise were met with mixed success. Where critics heaped praise on Lucasfilm's 2016 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' which nabbed over $532 million at the domestic box office, they were less kind with the company's 2018 'Solo: A Star Wars Story,' which made a humble $213 million domestically. 'Solo,' whose budget was at least $250 million, to say nothing of its pricey marketing campaign, was also the first 'Star Wars' movie to lose money. Still, as 'Star Wars' movies saw diminishing returns on the silver screen, Lucasfilm pivoted to focus on streaming, debuting its first season of 'The Mandalorian' on Disney+ in November 2019 just as Disney's streaming platform launched. Since then, Lucasfilm has put out five other live-action shows, including two more 'Mandalorian' seasons, 'The Book of Boba Fett,' 'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' and 'Ahsoka.' While not all of Lucasfilm's series have achieved acclaim — 'The Acolyte' was canceled in August after just one season and mixed reviews — the company recently released a trailer for the much-anticipated second season of 'Andor,' which is set to premiere on Disney+ on April 22. Making the most of the streaming success of 'The Mandalorian,' Lucasfilm in 2024 announced it was working on a feature installment of the series, 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' from Jon Favreau, its first movie release since 2019.
