John Boyega Joins War Drama '892,' Replacing Jonathan Majors
A little over a month ago, we told you how John Boyega suddenly and unexpectedly dropped out from a Netflix film called Rebel Ridge that was in the middle of filming, helmed by Green Room and True Detective director Jeremy Saulnier. This kicked up a brief firestorm of insider gossip and rumors that painted a slightly different picture than the official statement by Netflix and Boyega's party. Whatever the case may be, Boyega has since set his sights on his next project and, in an amusing slice of irony, his joining will actually save an in-flux production.
The Hollywood Reporter has all the details once again, in which Boyega will essentially be coming to the rescue of the production of indie war drama 892 by stepping into the shoes of departing lead actor Jonathan Majors.
For his part, Majors ran into those dreaded scheduling issues regarding filming for Ant-Man 3, for which the Lovecraft Country star was recently tapped to play time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror (who may or may not have certain telltale Loki-connections). When Majors' availability fell through, first time director Abi Damaris Corbin was staring at the awful possibility of having to shut everything down altogether. That is, until Boyega became available and was able to swoop in with his invaluable brand-name recognition to save the day.
The End of a Saga?
This hopefully puts an end to an awkward and unpleasantly festering situation. Most would agree that it's a rarity for actors to abruptly walk away from any project after filming has already commenced, and both Boyega and Netflix appeared in lockstep with each other. As per the official statement, his exit was caused by "family reasons," which should certainly be taken at face-value and treated with all seriousness. Unfortunately, rumors persisted and indicated that Boyega had issues with the production "ranging from the script to his accommodations." This led to Boyega's camp, via agent Femi Oguns, offering the following denial:
"I can categorically say that these rumours 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."
Social media immediately lit up with defenses of the actor, who first appeared on the scene in the excellent Attack the Block and soon shot to fame while starring in Disney's Star Wars sequel trilogy. Never one to shy from the spotlight, Boyega has publicly thrown his support behind fellow actors abused and mistreated by toxic fans and also put his words into action at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement last year.
Hopefully, this little saga will hardly be remembered as a blip on the radar as Boyega's career continues to thrive.