The director of Rebel Ridge has broken his silence on John Boyega walking away from the project halfway through filming.
The Netflix movie, which is the number one film on the streamer’s charts globally as well as in the US, was originally set to feature the Star Wars star in the lead role of Terry Richmond.
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier, the movie sees Richmond on a quest for vengeance against a corrupt local police force.
The film has been a huge hit with fans and critics alike, with a 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes in addition to it being the biggest movie on Netflix.
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It is a miracle, however, that the film went off without a hitch.
According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Boyega left halfway through filming without as little as a note.
THR shared that according to their insider sources, the actor was only discovered to have left when someone went into his hotel room to get him.
They reported: “According to one person with knowledge of the situation, the filmmakers only discovered [Boyega had left the film] when they looked for him at his hotel and found that he had checked out.
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“According to sources, there seemed to be no one incident that prompted Boyega to leave in the midst of shooting.
“Several insiders, however, say the star had myriad issues ranging from the script to his accommodations.”
They went on to say: “Top Netflix executives, including head of global films Scott Stuber and co-CEO Ted Sarandos, tried to persuade the star to return to the set without success.”
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Several crew members were let go as the production was shut down for a year.
Boyega's agent went on to release a statement, dismissing rumors that the actor had issues with Netflix.
It stated: “I can categorically say that these rumors are completely untrue. People will form their opinions often rooted from boredom. As stated John unfortunately left due to family reasons which in truth is none of anyone’s business except his own.
“John and Netflix have a wonderful relation which will continue to grow for years to come whether that be through his acting or through [his production company] UpperRoom.”
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Director Jeremy Saulnier eventually found Aaron Pierre, who took on the lead role as ex-marine Terry Richmond.
He told Vulture in an interview in which he broke his silence on the situation: “When John left the film, it was inevitable and out of respect for all parties involved; I can’t get into the details of it.
“But every party would agree, it was the right situation. It had to be that way. And I was willing to risk the movie unless I found the one and only true Terry Richmond.”
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Regarding the search for Pierre, he said: “The search was insanely short, because within weeks, I had a Zoom call in Louisiana with Aaron Pierre, and I knew in less than two minutes that this is the guy.
“We had a very deep conversation. We were at this perfect crossroads, his career, my career.
“Netflix was insanely supportive of giving Aaron the opportunity. And no one who’s seen the film can imagine a version of this without Aaron Pierre.”
Rebel Ridge is available on Netflix now
Topics: Netflix, Film and TV, Celebrity
Michael Slavin