Borderlands movie in development hell after fresh blow

❘ Published: 2023-07-11T09:05:42

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The Borderlands movie is condemned to development hell after a fresh blow leaves the video game adaptation with an uncertain future.

There’s no denying the market for gaming adaptations is big right now, with the likes of The Witcher, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Arcane, The Super Mario Bros Movie, and The Last of Us all finding success on the big and small screens.

And so, ever since a movie based on the beloved Borderlands gaming franchise was announced, fans have been eagerly waiting for updates. But that was nearly eight years ago.

A lot has happened since the film was said to be in development in 2015, from talks of reshoots to changing writers – and now the project’s been dealt with another roadblock.

Borderlands movie in development hell after fresh blow

One of the most promising details of the Borderlands movie is that The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin is attached to co-write the script, but a number of eagle-eyed fans noticed this week that his name has been removed on the WGA website.

Screenshot of the Borderlands project on the WGA website

In place of his name is a pseudonym, Joe Crombie. As outlined by Kotaku: “This is similar to how, back in the day, directors working on a film they didn’t like or want their name connected to would opt to use the popular fake name of Alan Smithee.”

As such, many believe that Mazin has chosen to drop his real name from the credits so that he’s no longer directly linked with the project.

Although this is yet to be confirmed by Mazin himself, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, especially given all of the issues the film has faced in recent years.

Has the Borderlands movie been cancelled?

No, the Borderlands movie hasn’t been cancelled, but it is stuck in post-development hell. After it was announced to be in the works back in 2015, it took years before nailing down Mazin as the writer and horror icon Eli Roth as the director.

The film officially wrapped shooting back in June 2021, with a star-studded cast including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

However, we’re still no closer to seeing the finished product, and a fresh blow arrived in January this year when news broke that the film will be undergoing reshoots with Deadpool director Tim Miller due to Roth’s commitments to another project.

And since reshoots typically mean a delay in release, we’re just going to have to sit tight and see how the situation pans out in the coming months.

To read more about the Borderlands movie and what it will be about, head here, and you can check out some of our other TV and Movie hubs below: