Rebel Ridge seemingly came out of nowhere to become the biggest thing on Netflix the last few weeks. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room), Rebel Ridge feels a lot like a modern Rambo, with Aaron Pierre playing Terry Richmond, a Marine out to save his cousin and expose the corrupt police force led by Chief Sandy Burne (Don Johnson). It was a star-making performance for Pierre, but it almost didn’t happen. Another actor, one much more famous, was first cast to play Richmond. John Boyega was going to be the lead in Rebel Ridge, but during filming, Boyega left under mysterious circumstances, leading Saulnier to wonder if his film was done.
John Boyega Walked Out During Filming of ‘Rebel Ridge’
Writer and director Jeremy Saulnier made his name with the double punch of Blue Ruin in 2013 and Green Room in 2015. Both were dirty, small-town crime thrillers with captivating characters to go with the action, so when Saulnier’s fourth film, Rebel Ridge, was announced, with John Boyega cast in the lead, as a Marine named Terry Richmond, it seemed like the perfect fit. Boyega found fame around the same time as Saulnier, first becoming known for Attack the Black in 2011, before landing a mammoth role in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So what kind of film magic could Saulnier and Boyega make together?
As it turns out, the collaboration wasn’t meant to be. In June 2021, during filming, Boyega left production of Rebel Ridge. According to sources with The Hollywood Reporter, Boyega allegedly just disappeared, and when the filmmakers went looking for him at his hotel, he was gone, having checked out without telling anyone. A statement from Netflix said Boyega left due to “family reasons”; this was later backed up in a statement from his agent, Femi Oguns. However, insiders stated the actor reportedly had several problems with the production of Rebel Ridge including not liking the script nor his accommodations.
Jeremy Saulnier Talks About Finding Aaron Pierre
According to The Hollywood Reporter, both Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and head of global films Scott Studer tried to convince John Boyega to return, but he refused. With Netflix not able to quickly recast his character, production was temporarily shutdown.
In an interview this year with Vulture, director Jeremy Sauliner was asked about Boyega leaving the film three years prior. Saulnier wouldn’t go into detail about what happened, only saying:
“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.”
Saulnier said he was willing to risk Rebel Ridge not happening unless he found the only actor meant to play Terry Richmond, which he did with Aaron Pierre. After just a few weeks of searching, Saulnier spoke to Pierre on Zoom. The director was so impressed that he told Vulture, “I knew in less than two minutes that this is the guy.”
Aaron Pierre Is Perfectly Cast as Terry Richmond
According to Saulnier, he and Aaron Pierre needed each other because their film careers were at a crossroads. After having two big hits in a row, Saulnier made Netflix’s Hold the Dark in 2018, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Jeffrey Wright, but despite the stellar cast, Hold the Dark wasn’t as well received as Blue Ruin and Green Room were, and he hadn’t made a film since. As for Aaron Pierre, the 6’3″ British actor may have looked like a star, but he wasn’t one yet. He’d appeared in several smaller projects, but his most well-known role was a supporting role in M. Night Shyamalan‘s Old.
Rebel Ridge has changed everything for both men. It’s Saulnier’s most popular, and perhaps best, film yet, and it has surely launched Aaron Pierre into stardom. Saulnier raved about the actor and his performance to Vulture, saying that the actor’s dedication to the part reenergized him when all seemed lost. “I believe the fates intervened and Aaron and I were meant to work together,” Saulnier stated.
As for John Boyega, he made out just fine after dropping out of Rebel Ridge. He starred in the critically acclaimed The Woman King, and followed that up with They Cloned Tyrone, which was distributed by Netflix. The fact that Boyega and Netflix worked together again after what happened with Rebel Ridge shows that their relationship has been healed. While it might be interesting to imagine Boyega’s take on Terry Richmond, it’s clear that Aaron Pierre was the perfect fit for the Rebel Ridge character. In the end, it all worked out for Saulnier, Pierre, and Boyega.
Rebel Ridge is currently available to watch on Netflix in the U.S.
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