The timing on this seems right. While John Boyega hasn’t done any new films this year, he’s been everywhere speaking out on a host of issues. Of course, his dissatisfaction with Star Wars has received a lot of headlines, but the most attention he’s received has been for his activism in support of Black Lives Matter. And that makes his upcoming film The Test, in which he takes on right wing extremists, exactly the right thing for him to do next.
According to Deadline, Boyega will star in political thriller The Test, from writer/director Gavin Hood. Also in the cast is Payman Maadi, an actor probably best-known for his films with Asghar Farhadi, About Elly and A Separation. Hood is an actor-turned-filmmaker who broke out behind the camera with his Oscar-winning film Tsotsi. He has since gone on to direct X-Men: Origins Wolverine, Ender’s Game, and Official Secrets.
Based on the novella by Sylvain Neuvel, The Test follows “a soft-spoken immigrant (Maadi) taking a citizen evaluation test, and a brilliant young behavioral psychologist (Boyega) supervising “the test” confront a terrorist group lead by a far-right fanatic.”
Boyega will be seen later this year in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology, and has films Borderland and They Cloned Tyrone coming up. The Test should be the next project for him, as it’s being fast-tracked because the simple two-hander easily works within COVID-19 restrictions.
