Rebel Ridge: John Boyega “did a Joaquin Phoenix” on Jeremy Saulnier

The director recounts the actor's abrupt departure and his replacement by Aaron Pierre for his thriller, which is a hit on Netflix.

Recently available on Netflix, Rebel Ridge starts strong. Jeremy Saulnier is not a little proud of the success of his thriller in the vein of Jack Reacher and the first Rambo.

Rebel Ridge, on Netflix: a delightful thriller between Rambo and Jack Reacher

Interviewed by Vulture About this new project, the director of Blue Ruin, Green Room or No Man or God, confirms that the departure of John Boyega has completely upset his initial project. A time discouraged, he details that the rapid hiring of Aaron Pierre (old), very motivated to play the lead role in Rebel Ridge, gave him wings again.

In 2020, it is indeed the star ofAttack the Block and of Star Wars 7, 8 And 9 who had signed on to play the protagonist of this film, a former marine who arrives in a small American town to help his brother get out of prison, but who must face a corrupt and very violent police force. A few months earlier, the actor had signed a deal with Netflix to produce more African films, while also having the opportunity to participate in projects as an actor.

Accepting in the process the main role of Rebel Ridgehe eventually left the set in June, explaining that he had to “return to England for personal reasons.” In March 2021, The Hollywood Reporter shared a different story, with several people on the team explaining that he had “fled” this shooting. The “insiders” didn't report any specific clash between the actor and his director, but recalled a multitude of small disagreements, ranging from script details to technical issues and organizational problems, that ultimately led Boyega to throw in the towel. Netflix then put the $25 million project on hold, and for a time, its revival was not assured.

Today, Jeremy Saulnier does not want to add fuel to the fire, but when this situation is compared to Joaquin Phoenix'swho has just left a Todd Haynes project that he himself had initiated, leading to the film being abandoned, he admits that he too was afraid that Rebel Ridge does not ultimately happen.

“When John left the film, it was inevitable, there had been too much disrespect for everyone involved. I can't go into detail, but everyone will tell you it was the right decision. It had to be that way. I was willing to risk this film until I found the right Terry Richmond. That search was incredibly short, because in just a few weeks, I had a Zoom call with Aaron Pierre and I immediately felt that he was perfect. We had a deep conversation, we knew that we were talking at the right time, both for his career and for mine. I don't want to sound desperate, but I really felt that we needed each other at that moment. In the way he presented himself, his immediate involvement, his interest in every detail of this project… It gave me new energy.

The situation remained complicated and for logistical reasons, we preferred to wait another year before launching. In fact, we were starting almost from scratch, everyone needed a little time. Netflix was incredibly supportive, they really approved of Aaron and this opportunity. Now, we could not imagine another actor in this role than Aaron Pierre. He truly carries the entire film on his shoulders, he must be in 129 scenes, maybe 135? I promise you that it is not brain juice, he represents the best turning point that we could have experienced on this film. I am not too versed in beliefs, but in this case, it is as if destiny intervened so that Aaron and I work together. We were made to get along, he was always very respectful towards the script, he constantly returned to the text. There we were, in Louisiana in the scorching heat, having to fly bodies over his head, then learn eight pages of dialogue… His task was frankly important.”