John Boyega was all set to play Terry Richmond in Rebel Ridge before Aaron Pierre was taken aboard for the role, which raises questions about why Boyega dropped out of the Netflix film. Even though Rebel Ridge is a relatively low-budget action film, it was surprisingly in production for the past five years. According to reports, John Boyega was cast for the leading role in November 2019, and the film's shooting was scheduled to begin sometime in April 2020.

However, due to the delays from the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rebel Ridge's shooting did not start until May 2021. In June 2021, the film's production faced another major challenge when John Boyega abruptly departed from the project. This is when Aaron Pierre was cast for the leading role. Fortunately, the third time was a charm since the film's shooting went smoothly thereafter. Although Aaron Pierre's casting has worked wonders for the Jeremy Saulnier movie, it is hard not to be curious about why John Boyega backed off from the film.

John Boyega Left Rebel Ridge During Production Due To "Family Reasons"

The Actor Denied All Other Rumors

Since lead actors rarely leave movie projects midway through shoots, John Boyega's sudden departure from Rebel Ridge triggered many rumors. The fact that the actor left the film's production without even informing anyone led many to speculate that he had a range of reasons, including issues with the script and problems with his accommodation. As per reports (via IndieWire), Netflix's top executives even tried to convince him to return to the movie's set but to no avail.

John Boyega was the titular lead in Netflix's They Cloned Tyrone, which premiered on 14 June 2023 on the streamer. The film has an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%.

With what followed, the Netflix action movie's production was temporarily disbanded before its filming ensued again with Aaron Pierre as the lead. John Boyega's agent, Ognus, later issued a statement in which he dismissed the rumors and revealed that the actor had to suddenly leave due to "family reasons." "I can categorically say that these rumors are completely untrue," he said, confirming that Boyega has a "wonderful" relationship with Netflix, which will only continue to grow in the future.

Why Aaron Pierre Replaced John Boyega As Terry Richmond In Rebel Ridge

A Zoom Call Convinced Jeremy Saulnier That Aaron Pierre Was Perfect For The Role

Aaron Pierre only has a little over ten acting credits under his belt, with his most notable movie and TV projects being Old, Brother, and The Underground Railroad. Before hopping on a pre-filming Zoom call with the actor, director Jeremy Saulnier had only seen him in The Underground Railroad, which itself was enough to sell him the idea that Pierre would do justice to the leading role in Rebel Ridge. As Jeremy Saulnier revealed, he saw "the chops" and "the presence" before saying, "That's it. That's my guy."

As seen in Rebel Ridge, Aaron Pierre undoubtedly has the chops and the screen presence to portray a badass action hero like Terry Richmond. Although Rebel Ridge is his first lead role, his performance in the movie will likely pave the way for him to land more prominent parts in other films and TV shows. If all goes well, Rebel Ridge might also get a sequel, which could again feature Aaron Pierre as its lead.