In a manner befitting many a Netflix opus, the emergence of “Rebel Ridge” feels akin to a bolt from the blue. However, such is not the case with this Jeremy Saulnier-helmed thriller, for its unveiling in early September was the culmination of a protracted gestation period.
### The COVID-19 Interregnum and Its Impact on the Netflix Film
A span of six years separated the release of “Rebel Ridge” from Saulnier’s antecedent offering, 2018’s “Hold the Dark.” This hiatus was not deliberate; indeed, the script for “Rebel Ridge” was penned by Saulnier back in 2018, even securing the illustrious John Boyega, of “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” fame, to portray the beleaguered protagonist, Terry Richmond, in 2019. A slew of other actors also enlisted for the Netflix production a few months later, with filming slated to commence in April 2020.
Alas, these plans were thwarted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in March 2020. The principal photography of “Rebel Ridge” was consequently deferred for a year, mirroring the fate of numerous other cinematic and televisual endeavors slated for production during the pandemic. Regrettably, this pandemic-induced postponement was not the sole setback encountered by “Rebel Ridge” on its road to theatrical fruition in the present year.
### A Star In Flux: The Ordeal of “Rebel Ridge” During Filming
Come May 2021, over a year behind schedule, filming for “Rebel Ridge” finally commenced in the environs of Louisiana. Yet, a mere two months later, John Boyega unexpectedly absconded from the project amid filming due to purported “family reasons.” Concurrently, amidst a flurry of journalistic accounts in that selfsame month, assertions surfaced in The Hollywood Reporter alleging that Boyega had hastily vacated the set of the film owing not only to misgivings regarding the script of “Rebel Ridge” but also to perceived deficiencies in his accommodations during the Louisiana shoot. It must be noted that Boyega’s agent vehemently repudiated these allegations.
Following Boyega’s exit, the filming of “Rebel Ridge” was once again halted. Come October 2021, Saulnier and his cohorts designated Aaron Pierre, hailing from “The Underground Railroad” and “Krypton,” as Boyega’s successor. Several moons afterwards, production for the Louisiana-based film recommenced in April 2022. By this juncture, nearly four years elapsed since Saulnier had originally committed his script for “Rebel Ridge” to parchment.
Fortunately, the third cinematic endeavor of “Rebel Ridge” proceeded with a modicum of uneventfulness. The curtains finally descended on production on July 24, 2022, a mere three months after its rejuvenated genesis with Pierre in the vanguard. In the ensuing trajectory, two years and change later, the film made its much-anticipated debut on the pantheon of Netflix.
### The Deliberate Delays That Enriched “Rebel Ridge”
For all the travails and trials that beset “Rebel Ridge” along its tumultuous odyssey to fruition, it can be posited with assurance that the denouement was fortuitous. Aaron Pierre’s tour de force performance in the film has emerged as a focal point of discourse ever since its unveiling, and one can scarcely dispute the reasons. Pierre so thoroughly embodies the character of Terry Richmond that one could be inclined to believe the role was tailor-made for him, although such is not the case.
Ultimately, even Jeremy Saulnier attests that the delays which waylaid “Rebel Ridge” proved providential for the thriller. When consulted regarding Boyega’s unanticipated departure in 2021, Saulnier averred, “No one who’s seen the film can imagine a version of this without Aaron Pierre. It was the most amazing turn for the film. I’m not into hocus-pocus, but I believe the fates intervened and Aaron and I were meant to work together.” Certainly, any observer of “Rebel Ridge” who bears witness to Pierre’s performance therein would find it arduous to contest Saulnier’s assertion.
“Rebel Ridge” now graces the digital vault of Netflix for the delectation of cineastes and neophytes alike.
