Star Wars' John Boyega Exits Netflix's Rebel Ridge Mid-Production

Actor John Boyega has reportedly left the Netflix movie Rebel Ridge mid-production due to unspecified "family reasons," according to Deadline. The movie's major plot details still haven't been announced, but Rebel Ridge is expected to be a "high-velocity thriller that explores systemic American injustices through bone-breaking action sequences, suspense, and dark humor" and continue with a new actor in his stead.

"Rebel Ridge is pausing temporarily as we look to re-cast John Boyega," said a Netflix spokesperson in a statement. "We remain committed to [director] 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."

Filming for Rebel Ridge began in early May 2021 after pandemic delays pushed back plans to originally start production in April 2020. Boyega was part of an impressive ensemble that includes James Cromwell, AnnaSophia Robb, Emory Cohen, Don Johnson, James Badge Dale, Zsane Jhe, and Al Vicente.

Boyega's film mentioned in Netflix's statement, They Cloned Tyrone, is currently in post-production. The actor also has explicitly stated that despite recent turbulence with Lucasfilm, he is "open to come back" to the Star Wars franchise. It was also recently announced that Boyega will be similarly returning to his iconic role of sci-fi street tough Moses in Attack the Block 2.