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Is John Boyega cancelled? Actor loses Twitter blue tick after exit from Netflix's 'Rebel Ridge'

'John Boyega knew that speaking against systematic & industry racism would threaten his career,' said a fan

Fans of John Boyega are convinced that Hollywood is trying to blacklist the actor after he reportedly left production on Netflix's 'Rebel Ridge' earlier this month without informing anyone. 

Hours after The Hollywood Reporter broke the story of Boyega exiting 'Rebel Ridge' in the middle of the shoot, many people on social media noticed that the actor and BLM activist was no longer verified on Twitter and his tweets from the last seven months were deleted. This led many to question whether higher forces in Hollywood were at play in boycotting the star. 

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Why did John Boyega exit 'Rebel Ridge'?

Earlier this month, after Boyega exited 'Rebel Ridge' it was reported that he had done so for 'family reasons.' However, THR recently published a report which cited sources which claimed that the Boyega walked away from the production with filming underway and filmmakers realized that he was gone only after when they looked for him at his hotel and found that he had checked out.

The sources also added that there wasn't any particular incident during the shoot that prompted Boyega to leave the shoot. However, according to insiders, the star was not happy with a number of things, ranging from the script of the movie to his accommodations. The head of global films Scott Stuber and co-CEO Ted Sarandos failed to persuade the actor to return to filming. 

Femi Oguns, Boyega’s London-based agent, denied that Boyega had unceremoniously exited the project. “I can categorically say that these rumors are completely untrue,” he said in a statement to THR. “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.”

After the actor left 'Rebel Ridge,' Netflix said in a statement: “We look forward to continuing our partnership with John Boyega’s UpperRoom Productions.” According to industry insiders, Netflix has no plans to sue the actor, although Boyega could face liability for leaving a project voluntarily while in the middle of the shoot. 

'I Stand With John Boyega'

Fans are not buying the latest report and are speculating if Hollywood is secretly trying to boycott Boyega. One user commented, "the whole john boyega situation is mad sketchy because idk if it’s hollywood trying to blacklist him or his personal reasons, i just hope he’s okay." Another remarked, "john boyega’s tweet been deleted up to 2020 and his blue check is gone. what’s going on? not even a full day after the hollywood reporter released an article tryna make him seem 'hard to work with'. maddest thing is he said this would happen. they tryna get him out of here y’all." A third said, "John Boyega knew that speaking against systematic & industry racism would threaten his career. When Black actors refuse to let themselves be made a victim, they become a target. We've seen this with Candice Patton, Ray Fisher, and so many more #IStandWithJohnBoyega"

The next quipped, "doors were certainly closed to him" for being an activist for black lives matters, yup, the industry is definitely trying to ruin john boyega's career now painting him as unprofessional and difficult to work with, i've heard this of so many black actors and it's never true." One more chimed in, saying, "i really hope john boyega is okay. the industry has treated him so badly for years and now they're trying to paint him as difficult to work with—i'd rather he be okay mentally than to suffer just for trying to make his dreams come true" A person reacted with, "john boyega is one of the most talented actors out there and just bc he is very vocal about the issues his community and him suffers everyday the industry treats him like dirt and i’m so freaking tired and angry." A commenter tweeted, "John Boyega suddenly getting labeled as “difficult to work with” doesn’t sit right with me."