HBO's The Last Of Us writer has removed his name from the Borderlands movie

Never a good sign

As first reported byWorld Of Reel, Mazin has seemingly decided to distance himself from the project. You can see the currently credited writers, including nine in total, on theWriter’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 asAlan 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.

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.