After news that a key person cut ties with the Borderlands movie, The Last of Us writer Craig Mazin set the record straight if he was a writer on the film.
Mazin has made a name for himself in recent years, penning some of the most acclaimed television shows. After taking on heavy subject material in Chornobyl, he collaborated with Neil Druckmann on the Emmy-nominated adaptation of The Last of Us. A self-proclaimed gamer, Mazin seemed like an easy choice to tap for the upcoming Borderlands movie. But since its announcement, it doesn’t seem like the adaptation will be on the same level as shows like The Last of Us. The film wrapped production in 2021 but has been delayed until 2024 because of reshoots.
The situation was exacerbated with news that Mazin stepped away from the Borderlands movie broke. These reports detailed that the writer-director had been using the penname Joe Crombie, suggesting he longer wanted his name attached to the project. But in a recent statement, Mazin contradicts these previous reports. “I am not a credited writer on the film, so I cannot claim any kind of authorship of ‘Borderlands,’ much less ‘co-writing,'” Mazin told Variety in his statement. “I did see the report about the pseudonym, which is false. I did not use a pseudonym. If the name in question is indeed a pseudonym, all I can say is… it’s not mine.”
Borderlands has had to contend with several setbacks. Tim Miller stepped in for Eli Roth to direct additional Borderlands reshoots. And being delayed for so long while still not having a firm release date is certainly not a good sign. After such successes as The Last of Us, fans seemingly entered a golden age of video game adaptations. According to Mazin, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least where Borderlands is concerned.
Mazin has chosen his words carefully in the statement he provided. His claim that is easiest to accept is that he is unaffiliated with the pseudonym. There is no proof that he has ever written under this name. But the rest of the statement adds more mystery to the ongoing situation. Mazin only states that he is “not a credited writer” on the film. It could mean that he was, at one point, whether or not he went by a different pen name.
When Roth was first announced to be making Borderlands, he seemed synonymous with Mazin, who appeared to be co-writing Borderlands movie with the horror director. All fans know now is that the WGA is reporting Joe Crombie has the co-writing credit, and the Chernobyl writer is not attached. This is unfortunate for a film that continues to be held back by a never-ending slew of reshoots. It spells trouble more and more for the upcoming project.
Borderlands is in post-production.
Source: Variety