Summary
John Boyega, who rose to international stardom after starring inStar Wars, wants to be part of another sci-fi show. However, he doesn’t want to replace the original male lead, he just wants to play the role " for one episode."
Boyega is a British actor known for his charisma and powerful presence. He has starred in different films, from science fiction to drama and action movies. However, he becomes a household name when he portrays Finn, a former stormtrooper who defected from the First Order and joined the Resistance inStar Wars. He made his debut in the franchise inStar Wars: The Force Awakens(2015). He reprised his beloved role inStar Wars: The Last Jedi(2017) andStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker(2019). He also starred in the historical dramaDetroit(2017), sci-fi actionPacific Rim: Uprising(2018), drama thrillerBreaking(2022), and Netflix’s sci-fi comedyThey Cloned Tyrone(2023). In a recent interview, Boyega admitted that there was one hit show that just aired its second season that he wanted to be part of.
The actor attended the John Boyega: The Force of Talent panel at C2E2 2025. At the event, he was asked if there were any TV shows or movies he would like to make a guest appearance. He said that he wanted to appear inThe Last of Us, but he had a condition — he wanted to replace its male lead, Pedro Pascal, for just one episode, Popverse reported. Boyega said:
I just want to be the guy in Last of Us. Just for one episode. Just one. And I need you guys as fans to just pretend as if nothing changed. So when Pedro comes back, you’re like, ‘Yeah.’
The show is set in the dystopian United States 20 years after a fungal outbreak was “phenomenal.” Boyega loved the fact that it’s a “zombie TV show.” He even gave his fans an idea of how to picture him in the series. “So, imagine me as one of the guys inWalking Deador something. That kind of vibe. I would love to do that,” he added.The Last of Usfeatures a fungus called Cordyceps and infected humans transform into zombies. The infected person goes through different stages. They become aggressive and frenzied in the first two days, called runners. Then they become smarter at attacking their victims, dubbed stalkers, after two weeks of infection. After over a year, they become fully blind and make terrifying clicking sounds. Thus, they are called “clickers.” They are hard to kill and very dangerous. The stage continued, making the infected person more horrifying and dangerous than the last.
Boyega’s wish to replace Pascal in one episode ofThe Last of Usis unlikely to happen. First, explaining how Joel’s appearance changes in one episode is difficult. Second, Joel is doomed to die in the series.The Last of Usis inspired by Naughty Dog’s hit video game of the same name. Joel died in the second game, the plot followed by the second season. However, the show has been renewed for a third season, suggesting that it probably divided the second game’s story into two seasons or more and Joel could still return in its next run. The cast members have remained tight-lipped about Joel’s fate despite fans knowing how his story will end. So, let’s wait and see how Joel’s story will end inThe Last of UsSeason 2.
The Last of UsSeason 2’s premiere episode now streams on HBO. A new episode drops every Sunday.
