Variety caught up with John Boyega at Cannes and he briefly discussed the new Star Wars. Boyega talked about the general tone and feel of Star Wars: Episode VIII and Finn and Rey. Up front he clarifies that Finn and Rey are just friends:

Yes, Finn and Rey – they’re just friends. Finn is a storm trooper, so he doesn’t really know what’s going on. So the romance thing is something that’s going to be interesting in the next installment. It’s not going to go the way you think it’s going to go.

Irvin Kershner used to always say that a kiss in a Star Wars film was equivalent to a sex scene. The wholesome nature of the series sometimes makes those romantic lines blurry.

It’s very easy. Rian Johnson is great. It’s a different take, darker, bigger. Someone will say: “How do you get bigger than ‘Force Awakens?’” But it’s crazy.

Variety asked if Finn gets darker too and he dodges the question playfully. The weird thing about Star Wars (sort of like the meaning of a kiss) is what does “dark” actually mean? The Empire Strikes Back is often cited as the “darkest” of the Star Wars films but when you really look at it, while bad things do happen, the film itself isn’t really that dark. Or a movie like Revenge of the Sith which I would say is the darkest of the films, but did most of the “dark” stuff via implication. I am not saying VIII won’t be dark, just that we all have different ideas and qualifiers for that term.

Boyega also clarifies he’s signed on for one more Star Wars film after VIII:

We’re doing a trilogy (7, 8, 9).

Boyega goes on to say he doesn’t care that he’s going to be known as Finn forever. Read the full interview at Variety.