John Boyega’s 'Star Wars' Sequel Pitch Avoided the Palpatine Twist
John Boyega reveals his original ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy vision, with Finn and Rey as rival Jedi in a darker storyline.
At Fan Expo Boston 2025, Star Wars actor 
John Boyega revealed the version of the sequel trilogy he thought was being made—and many fans think it sounds better than what hit theaters. Boyega, who played Finn, believed from The Force Awakens script that his character was Force-sensitive, pointing to Finn’s ability to wield a lightsaber as proof.
According to ScreenRant, in Boyega’s imagined storyline, both Finn and Rey (
Daisy Ridley) would have become Jedi, only to turn against each other in a rivalry similar to Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. He suspected Rey might have been the one to fall, possibly joining Kylo Ren (
Adam Driver) or taking his place as the main villain.
This alternate arc would have made Finn the trilogy’s Jedi hero—a major step up from his sidelined role in The Rise of Skywalker. It also would have avoided the divisive “Rey is a Palpatine” twist, giving all three leads—Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren—more complete and compelling storylines.