John Boyega steps away from Netflix's Rebel Ridge for family reasons

The filming of Netflix’s upcoming thriller Rebel Ridge has stalled following John Boyega’s departure from the project for family reasons. The film’s production began May 3 in Louisiana, and now Netflix must quickly find Boyega’s replacement. This pause follows early production delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed Rebel Ridge back from its original April 2020 start date.

A Netflix spokesperson 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.”

Other cast members in Rebel Ridge include AnnaSophia Robb, Emory Cohen, Don Johnson, James Cromwell, James Badge Dale, Zsane Jhe, and Al Vicente. Saulnier is best known for his films Green Room and Blue Ruin, another thriller starring Macon Blair. The premise of the Rebel Ridge has been kept under wraps, but it’s said the film is a high velocity-thriller that will “explore systemic American injustice in the context of action, suspense, and dark humor.”

Boyega recently starred in an episode of Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe, earning rave reviews, a Golden Globe, and a Critics’ Choice Television Award for his portrayal of Black Police Association founder Leroy Logan in Red, White And Blue. The Star Wars actor plays a role in the upcoming Netflix sci-fi comedy They Cloned Tyrone alongside Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris. Boyega will revisit his breakthrough role—Moses in the Attack The Block—in an upcoming sequel directed by Joe Cornish, a decade after the original. Attack The Block 2 is currently in post-production.

We recognize how rare it is for actors to step away from a project mid-production, and we wish Boyega the best.