Star Wars alum John Boyega to star in Book of Eli prequel series

John Boyega is set to star in and executive produce The Book of Eli, a TV prequel series based on the 2010 post-apocalyptic action drama of the same name.

Per Deadline, Boyega will play a younger version of Denzel Washington’s titular character. Gary Whitta, who wrote the screenplay for the film, created the series and is set to write and executive produce.

The 2010 movie follows Eli, a nomad who must deliver a copy of a mysterious book across an apocalypse-ravaged America. Directed by the Hughes brothers, the cast includes Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, and Michael Gambon. It was a modest box office success, earning $157 million against a budget of $80 million. Reviews were mixed, though many critics praised Washington’s performance.

Deadline reports that the series will be set 30 years prior to the film’s events, putting it at the time of the nuclear event or just after. The show will be shopped to streaming platforms this year. No other details about the upcoming series have been released.

Boyega is known for his role as Finn in the Star Wars franchise, starring in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Boyega won a Golden Globe for his role in Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe, and went on to star in The Woman King, Breaking, and Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone.

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