HBO's The Last Of Us writer has removed his name from the Borderlands movie
Never a good sign
The Borderlands movie has been in post-production since principal photography wrapped in June 2021, but in the years since it has undergone re-shoots under a different director. Now one of the film's original screenwriters, Craig Mazin - most recently known for HBO's Last Of Us adaptation - has opted to have his name removed from the project. Instead Mazin will be credited under the psuedonym Joe Crombie.
As first reported by World Of Reel, Mazin has seemingly decided to distance himself from the project. You can see the currently credited writers, including nine in total, on the Writer's Guild Of America website.
Using a psuedonym is a way of removing your name from a film project without giving up the rights, such as residuals, that such a credit may entail. The most famous examples are directors who have chosen to be credited as Alan Smithee.
Mazin's reputation has grown in recent years thanks to his work as creator of prestige dramas such as The Last Of Us and Chernobyl. He began his career, however, as a screenwriter on paraody movies such as Scary Movies 3 and 4 and Superhero Movie.
The Borderlands movie was announced as being in development back in 2015, with horror movie maker Eli Roth signing on to direct in 2020. The film bagged itself a strong cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap.
Since shooting wrapped in 2021, however, Eli Roth was replaced as director by Deadpool's Tim Miller for a few weeks of re-shoots. Re-shoots normally suggest someone wasn't happy with a cut of a movie, and a director being replaced for the re-shoots isn't a great sign. A screenwriter choosing to be credited as a psuedonym isn't a great sign, either.
Honestly, I'm pretty sure the best Borderlands could ever have hoped for was a forgottable, unobjectionable action comedy. Pfft. I'm hopeful that this mess of pre-production means that it's instead a far more memorable, far more interesting trainwreck; the sort of movie you get to laugh at with friends, then re-experience via hours-long YouTube video essays which dissect why it's so bad.