John Boyega has abruptly exited from the Netflix film Rebel Ridge just days into shooting due to “family reasons,” the streamer announced Thursday. Deadline reported that production is paused as Netflix works to find a replacement for the Star Wars actor in the next few days, as filming began on May 3 in Louisiana.
A Netflix spokesperson told the outlet, “Rebel Ridge is pausing temporarily as we look to re-cast John Boyega who needed to leave the project for family reasons. We remain committed to Jeremy Saulnier’s extraordinary film and look forward to resuming production. We look forward to continuing our partnership with John Boyega’s UpperRoom Productions, in addition to our upcoming film They Cloned Tyrone in which he also stars.”
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Boyega has not yet publicly addressed his exit from the movie, which is directed by Jeremy Saulnier and was expected to explore systemic injustice in the U.S. using action, suspense and black humor. Also starring in the film are AnnaSophia Robb, Emory Cohen, Don Johnson, James Cromwell, James Badge Dale, Zsane Jhe and Al Vicente. Filming initially was scheduled to begin in April 2020 but was ultimately postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Golden Globe-winning actor has expressed his excitement about moving on in his career from the Star Wars franchise, which he joined in 2015 as the character Finn in The Force Awakens. He reprised the role in 2017’s The Last Jedi and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Last year, he told a fan on Instagram he had “moved on” from the role, writing in July 2020, “Lol no thank you. I’ve moved on” with a heart emoji to a fan who expressed their hopes for Finn’s part in the next film. When another fan joked that Boyega “really just got those Disney bucks and dipped” alongside a crying laughing emoji, the star responded that he simply was ready to move on. “Nope. Not into playing one role for too long. I have more to offer than that. That’s all,” he wrote.
Boyega could be open to returning for more Star Wars films, however, if there were certain production requirements met, he said in an interview with Jake’s Takes last year. “I’m open to the conversation as long as it is [Kathleen Kennedy], J.J. [Abrams] and maybe someone else [on their] team,” the actor said of a possible return at the time. “[Then] it’s a no-brainer.”
