The following contains minor spoilers for Rebel Ridge, now streaming on Netflix.

Netflix is ​​on the road to success with action films, especially with big hits like extraction And The Union. While critics may not be so enthusiastic about the films, audiences are. They are simple and have exciting plots. Now Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Crest can add some value to this subgenre for the streaming service.

Aaron Pierre plays Terry Richmond, a former Marine drill sergeant who becomes embroiled in a racist plot involving police brutality in the small town of Shelby Springs. Although many rave about Pierre’s groundbreaking performance, he was not originally considered for the lead role. Before Pierre, the role of Terry Richmond was originally supposed to go to star Wars Actor John Boyega, which leaves fans wondering why Boyega dropped out of the film.

Why John Boyega left Rebel Ridge

Boyega left Rebel Ridge for personal reasons

2024 Rebel Crest is a relatively low-budget film that has been in production since 2019. According to Variety, Boyega was cast at the end of the year and filming was supposed to begin in April 2020. Due to COVID-19 and the pandemic-related lockdown, filming was delayed. Although filming began in May 2021, just one month later Saulnier had a major problem with Boyega.

The star Wars The actor abruptly left the set, and further reports – as detailed in the Hollywood Reporter – suggested that this was due to frustration and creative differences. People didn’t know Boyega had left until they checked his hotel room. Other rumors suggested he didn’t like his accommodations either. It was reported that high-ranking Netflix executives tried to get him back, but they were unsuccessful.

Boyega’s representatives responded and said Boyega had to leave for family reasons. The statement confirmed that things are going well at Netflix and that this was an unfortunate incident that could not be avoided. Ironically, Boyega filmed another Netflix movie in 2020 and 2021 – They cloned Tyrone – so it seemed to him as if there were no disputes between him and the streaming service.

In an interview with Vulture, Saulnier admitted that there were no problems or arguments between them. “When John left the film, it was inevitable and out of respect for everyone involved; I can’t go into details,” Saulnier explained. “But everyone involved agreed that it was the right situation. It had to be that way.”

How did Aaron Pierre come to Rebel Ridge?

Director Jeremy Saulnier saw Pierre as a soul mate

Production of the film was interrupted because Saulnier had to search for and test new leading actors. “I was willing to risk the film unless I found the one and only Terry Richmond,” the director told Vulture. “The search was incredibly short because within a few weeks I had a Zoom call with Aaron Pierre in Louisiana and in less than two minutes I knew he was the right guy.” Saulnier had only seen Pierre in The Underground Railroad before, because he wasn’t such a big name in Hollywood at that time.

Pierre was in M. Night Shyamalans Old as a rapper who aged and died. He was also the sinister Dev-Em: an enemy of Jor-El in Syfy’s krypton. In The Underground Railroad In the Prime Video series, Pierre was a runaway slave named Caesar. The series was nuanced and showed that he had potential. The series was nominated and won many awards. Ironically, Pierre will lend his voice to Mufasa as The Underground Railroad Director Barry Jenkins tells the prequel story of Simba’s father later in 2024. This is the talent Saulnier foresaw when he chose Pierre, and he discovered something special.

“We had a very profound conversation. We were at this perfect crossroads, his career, my career. It didn’t seem desperate in any way, but it felt like we needed each other at that point,” Saulnier continued in his interview with Vulture. “The way he presented himself, his immediate interest, his commitment and his dedication, was uplifting and immediately re-energized me.” Saulnier confirmed that Netflix supported the sequel to Pierre and could not see the film without him as Terry. Pierre also seems to have had a lot of fun.

An online clip showed him performing his own stunt (without equipment) in which he carried a wounded officer with heavy padding during Rebel Crest The end. Pierre did it in his one take, proving his dedication to the craft. That’s the kind of energy Saulnier likes and his films like. The Green Room radiate. Passion, dedication and brave, fearless performances are on display on screen. Pierre brings artistic heart to the project that subverts expectations compared to generic revenge tales and shoot-outs.

Would John Boyega have been a better Terry Richmond?

Pierre has a more intimidating, imposing aura than Boyega

It’s difficult to compare something that never happened. Boyega has action films outside of star Wars and has been given dramatic roles that would suit Terry’s personality: Theft of the bail given to him by corrupt Rebel Crest police officers. It also uncovered a conspiracy involving police brutality, bail jumping, abuse of the legal system and white collar crime.

2017 Detroit Boyega played Melvin, a part-time security guard in Detroit’s 12th Street riots in 1967. He faced corrupt cops and other dangers. Boyega was also the sword-wielding Casi in 2021’s “The 12th Street Riot.” Naked Singularity and a Marine Corps veteran in 2022 Break. Take a look at his starring role in Uprising in the PacificBoyega had what Terry needed in terms of attitude in a white supremacist city.

What makes Pierre’s Terry special is the physical stature and the imposing nature of the hero. Boyega is 5’9″ while Pierre is 6’3″, which is a significant height difference. This helps Pierre’s Terry in the scenes where he intimidates the shady police chief Sandy and beats down cops who have wronged him. He exudes the aura of a one-man wrecking crew. That’s not to say Boyega couldn’t do it, because John Wick, for example, wasn’t a huge character. But Pierre’s Terry has a presence to match that deep voice, and it’s even more terrifying.

Boyega played a grumpy rebel fighting against aliens and oppression in England in 2011. Attack the block. However, this was not as frightening as what would be necessary for Terry. Pierre beamed that in krypton as a rebellious soldier, so you get the feeling that, unlike Boyega, he already had what Saulnier was looking for. In other words, Saulnier needed a Marine Corps Superman, and Pierre embodies that image.

In the end, everything worked out great. It’s not like Joaquin Phoenix would leave a movie when production was about to begin. It doesn’t look like this movie will recover. But somehow Saulnier pulled himself together and continued his film with a new lead role while Boyega took his break and returned in 2022. The Women KingLuck was definitely on the side of Rebel Crest because the damage caused by casting the right man in the role has been repaired.

Rebel Ridge is now streaming on Netflix.