Four months ago, word spread that John Boyega had dropped out of Netflix thriller Rebel Ridge after cameras had already started rolling, which seemed strange when he’d remained attached to the project for well over a year as shooting was delayed significantly due to the pandemic.
Family reasons were cited as the explanation behind his departure, but then reports began making the rounds that he’d simply disappeared without telling anyone. Boyega’s representatives denied the claims, although rumors circulated that Netflix only found out he’d left Rebel Ridge when crew members went to his hotel to find that not only had he checked out of his hotel, but he wasn’t even in the same state anymore.
Naturally, this had fans worried about the potential effects it could have on his career, but everybody seems to have long since forgotten about it. However, Rebel Ridge has finally hired a replacement at long last, with ScreenDaily revealing that Aaron Pierre will now headline Jeremy Saulnier’s latest.
The 27 year-old is very much a name in the ascendancy, having recently been seen in Amazon series The Underground Railroad and M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, while he was also cast as a young Mufasa in Barry Jenkins’ prequel to The Lion King, so he’ll be a more than adequate substitute for Rebel Ridge.