You know, we might not be living in an actual apocalypse (well, maybe today’s other big IP news has you feeling differently about that, too), but things can’t help but feel mighty hopeless ’round these parts when we have to report about one of our best and most charismatic stars being forced to settle for a leading role in a prequel series based on a fairly well-received movie from almost a decade and a half ago. In between trips to a galaxy far, far away, John Boyega has ended up in other franchise movies like “Pacific Rim Uprising” and will soon return for the long-awaited “Attack the Block” sequel … meanwhile, it felt as if everyone ignored the fact that he starred in the wildly underseen original sci-fi movie “They Cloned Tyrone” just last year. That probably helps explain why roles like that and his supporting turns in both “The Woman King” and 2017’s “Detroit” feel like they’re falling further and further behind in the rearview mirror, but that doesn’t make it any less disheartening. In fact, this is yet another reason that the “Death of the movie star” has become such a common refrain in film circles, too.
Oddly enough, Deadline reports that original distributor Warner Bros. is not involved in this “The Book of Eli” prequel show, but otherwise skimps on major plot details, casting reports, or any indications of where this project may ultimately end up. Deadline frames this as one of the buzzier productions to land on studio desks in the weeks and months since the end of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, livening up a marketplace that’s sorely in need of a significant hit. We’ll be sure to follow this project closely for any updates.