John Boyega’s Agent Disputes Reports That He Quit The Movie “Rebel Ridge” Without Telling Anybody

June 24, 2021 / Posted by:

Back in June of last year when John Boyega was standing shoulder to shoulder with the throngs of people protesting police brutality and racial injustice, he stated that he wasn’t sure if his actions might jeopardize his career. Flash forward to June of this year and as IndieWire reports, John has exited from a starring role in the upcoming Netflix movie Rebel Ridge a week into filming under mysterious circumstances. Things got even more mysterious when this week on Twitter, John’s account lost its blue “verified” checkmark. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that John disappeared without a trace and intimated that he was unprofessional. But Netflix and John’s agent have said he left for family reasons. John himself has not spoken out on the situation but whatever the case, John’s getting a lot of support on Twitter from folks who fear he is being blacklisted for speaking out against racism and for failing to kiss Baby Yoda’s ass with sufficient reverence.

At the time his departure from Rebel Ridge was announced, Netflix said it was for “family reasons” but a report by THR countered that with sources claiming John walked away from the production that was underway in Louisiana which “filmmakers only discovered when they looked for him at his hotel and found that he had checked out.” IndieWire reports:

News broke at the start of June that John Boyega was abruptly exiting Jeremy Saulnier’s Netflix movie “Rebel Ridge” due to “family reasons.” The movie, Saulnier’s second Netflix original feature after “Hold the Dark,” was only a week into filming in Louisiana after being delayed for a year because of the pandemic. A new report from The Hollywood Reporter alleged via sources that “Boyega simply walked away from the production with filming underway.” Boyega’s London-based agent, Femi Oguns, denied the claim and stressed “family reasons” were the cause of the exit.

According to sources, there seemed to be no one incident that prompted Boyega to leave in the midst of shooting. Several insiders, however, say the star had myriad issues ranging from the script to his accommodations.”

THR went on to say that production had to be halted and that “dozens of crew members on the project were let go after Boyega’s departure as the production disbanded.” Production is supposed to start up again next year with a new lead. Here’s what John’s agent had to say about THR’s version of events.

“I can categorically say that these rumors are completely untrue. People will form their opinions often rooted from boredom. As stated John unfortunately left due to family reasons which in truth is none of anyone’s business except his own. John and Netflix have a wonderful relation which will continue to grow for years to come whether that be through his acting or through [Boyega’s production company] UpperRoom.”

In case there was any doubt that John is really walking the walk and not just talking the talk when it comes to uplifting Black people in the industry — his agent told people to mind their own damn business, so you know he’s Black! I certainly hope there’s no fuckery afoot and that John isn’t being made to look unprofessional due to his activism. And as far as Twitter goes, John’s last Tweet was in November of 2020, so some have speculated that he may have lost his blue check due to inactivity.

I wouldn’t put it past Disney to play dirty but Netflix insists it’s all good between them. Back in March of last year, John’s production company signed a three-picture, multiyear deal with them “with a specific focus on non-English language films from West and East Africa.” Besides, John is also starring in the upcoming Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone. So I KNOW Netflix better not turn around and call all the cloned Tyrones back telling them, come on, help John get his shit!

Pic: Wenn.com

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