John Boyega exits Netflix’s ‘Rebel Ridge’ due to ‘family reasons’

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According to recent reports, Star Wars actor John Boyega has officially exited the upcoming Netflix project Rebel Ridge due to “family reasons.”

Per the original reports about the film earlier this year, Rebel Ridge — from writer/director Jeremy Saulnier — was set to star Boyega and Don Johnson. While its specific details have been kept under wraps, Deadline describes it as “a deeply human yet high-velocity thriller that explores systemic American injustice in the context of bone-breaking action, ever-coiling suspense and pitch-black humor.”

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Now that Boyega has left the film “mid-shoot,” the production, which began shooting May 3 in Louisiana, is in the process of finding a replacement for him to finish it. “Rebel Ridge is pausing temporarily as we look to re-cast John Boyega who needed to leave the project for family reasons,” a Netflix spokesperson exclusively told Deadline. “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.”

While the Rebel Ridge shoot restart date has yet to be revealed, Netflix is expected to find someone to replace Boyega “in the next few days.” The film also stars AnnaSophia Robb, Emory Cohen, James Cromwell, James Badge Dale, Zsane Jhe and Al Vicente.

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Boyega still has plenty of projects on the way from Netflix. They Cloned Tyrone, which also stars Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris, is reportedly in post-production. It reportedly “follows a series of eerie events that thrusts an unlikely trio (Boyega, Foxx, Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.”

As theGrio reported in January, Boyega is also set to star in a project alongside acting heavyweight Robert De Niro. The Formula, a crime thriller also set to drop on Netflix, reportedly “centers on a Formula One racing prodigy who becomes a getaway driver in order to care for and rescue his family.” Gerard McMurray, who directed Burning Sands, is directing, producing and writing The Formula for the streamer.

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