Popverse's top stories of the day

• Zack Snyder's DC movies "skewed too old" to be successful, says Snyder's own Batman, Ben Affleck
• MEMBERS ONLY: Marvel Matters: How Marvel Studios are realizing its all about the story again, even if it means killing MCU's Nova, Edgar Wright's Ant-Man, and more
• Lore Corner: Heather Glenn may be in a tricky spot in Daredevil: Born Again, but it's nothing compared to her Marvel Comics counterpart

  ---

When J.J. Abrams returned to Lucasfilm to direct Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, John Boyega had one request – Finn needed to stop falling.

“I was doing a lot of falling in Star Wars,” Boyega recalls during his Popverse-hosted spotlight panel earlier this month on Emerald City Comic Con's Main Stage powered by Xfinity. “I was always falling. Come on guys, be honest with me. You know I was always falling. So, I was like to J.J., ‘Can I be on my feet a little bit longer?’”

Boyega also wanted Finn to have more character growth, and more moments of triumph. “There was a level of growth from The Last Jedi to The Rise of Skywalker that me and J.J. had spoke about adding. I was like to J.J., ‘I’m sick and tired of eating dirt J.J., I know how to move. My lightsaber skills are undeniable. Get me out there on the field.’ I remember J.J. coming up to me and saying, ‘John, we’ve got you, we’ve got Poe, we’ve got Chewbacca running through the corridors, taking out these stormtroopers.’ And that’s when I said, ‘Yeah, that’s enough.’ That was a nice moment and something for me to revel in.”

You can watch The Force of Talent: Spotlight on John Boyega from ECCC 2025's Main Stage powered by Xfinity for yourself as part of Popverse's all-encompassing coverage of Emerald City Comic Con 2025. Be there from anywhere.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

• Upcoming movies
• Upcoming TV shows
• Upcoming comics
• Upcoming games
• Upcoming fiction books
• Upcoming comic conventions