Sure, actors leave projects all the time, but it's fairly rare when your lead actor leaves the film half-way through the shoot. Deadline has reported that John Boyega has dropped out of Netflix's Rebel Ridge mid-shoot, causing production to shut down as they look to for a replacement. According to Netflix, Boyega needed to leave due to "family reasons." Hopefully everything is okay.
Production on Rebel Ridge kicked off in Louisiana on May 3rd, so there might be good deal of reshoots once John Boyega's replacement is selected. Jeremy Saulnier, best known for Blue Ruin, Green Room, and Hold the Dark, is directing the film based on his own script, and while plot details are being kept under wraps, it's said that the film will be a "high-velocity thriller that explores systemic American injustices through bone-breaking action sequences, suspense and dark humor." In a statement to Deadline, a Netflix spokesperson said:
Rebel Ridge is pausing temporarily as we look to re-cast John Boyega who needed to leave the project for family reasons. 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.
Rebel Ridge also stars AnnaSophia Robb, Emory Cohen, Don Johnson, James Cromwell, James Badge Dale, Zsane Jhe, and Al Vicente. As the Netflix spokesperson mentioned, John Boyega also stars in They Cloned Tyrone, a Netflix film which has been described as a pulpy, sci-fi mystery caper likened to Friday meets Get Out in which an unlikely trio investigates a series of eerie events, alerting them to a nefarious conspiracy. Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris also star in the film which wrapped production in March.