With a decade gone since the original film came out, John Boyega is explaining why Attack the Block 2 is special to him. The original 2011 sci-fi horror-comedy marked Boyega's breakout turn on the big screen, which would lead to the British star getting major roles in the Star Wars sequel trilogy as Stormtrooper-turned-Resistance fighter Finn, Pacific Rim: Uprising and 24: Live Another Day. Boyega starred in the original Attack the Block as Moses, a low-level teenage orphan crook looking to earn respect from his South London apartment block, but finds his life upended when a comet brings with it alien invaders.
The cast of Attack the Block also featured future Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, Arrowverse actor Franz Drameh and Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg frequent collaborator Nick Frost, amongst others. The film was a critical hit, scoring acclaim for the performances of its cast, Wright's script and direction and the fast pace, though it would underperform at the box office. In spite of this, the large cult following the film has amassed has kept the hopes for a future alive, with writer/director Joe Cornish confirmed to be returning for Attack the Block 2 with Boyega in mid-2021 and now the breakout star is discussing why they wanted to return.
While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant to discuss his role in Breaking, John Boyega offered some insight for Attack the Block 2. In addition to teasing that the film will feature "more" of the aliens, the star opened up about why the sequel is special to him, feeling Moses is a character he's willing to break his sequel aversion to explore. See what Boyega shared below:
There's more of them, know what I mean? But we're very excited. Joe's in the lab, cooking it up. I'm excited. I tend to not be the sequel person, like, "I want to do a sequel!" or whatever. But with this character, I want to see him. I want to see where he's at for the past few years. So, we're working now.
Boyega - who revealed to Collider that he's also co-writing the sequel - isn't the only one who's been curious to see more of Attack the Block's Moses and see what came of him, given the original film ended with him, Sam Esmail's Pest, Frost's Ron and Treadway's Brewis all being arrested and held responsible for the deaths of the block's residents. Given Ron's apartment was blown up in order to kill off the remaining aliens, it seems possible that the group could be in prison at the start of Attack the Block 2, as no evidence of the invading forces would remain to help clear their names. With the original Attack the Block having been praised for the biting social commentary layered throughout its bloody thrills, and Boyega's own activism efforts in the Black Lives Matter movement, it would be interesting to see this angle explored through Moses.
While Boyega may be eager to return for Attack the Block 2, it's understandable he also expresses a feeling of being uninterested in sequels in general. Boyega's Finn was memorably underutilized in the Star Wars franchise, as well as a target of racial backlash from toxic fans, while his taking over Pacific Rim: Uprising as Idris Elba character's son Jake didn't help the film against its lackluster reviews and box office returns, likely leaving a bad taste in the actor's mouth regarding appearing in sequels in general. With that said, Boyega's excitement for what Cornish is developing for Attack the Block 2 should prove promising for those who have campaigned for the sequel to come to be for the past decade.