Video game adaptations are already difficult to pull off, but the Borderlands movie has another challenge thanks to worrying behind the scenes drama.

New photos of the cast of the Borderlands movie have increased excitement for the film, but behind the scenes drama could be a bad sign for its success. Borderlands is an upcoming adaptation of the video game series of the same name, though the movie is deviating from its source material. One of those deviations includes the Borderlands movie’s selection of game characters. While the movie uses characters from a variety of different games, the cast is one of the most exciting parts of Borderlands, and everything on-camera so far seems promising.

While there are a lot of exciting aspects to Borderlands, there are also some causes for concern behind the scenes. Borderlands has some reasons to be worried, from its director, Eli Roth, specifically to problems inherent to video game adaptations generally. One of the most concerning developments for Borderlands came from the writer’s room, and it could be a missed opportunity for the film. Borderlands already has challenges to overcome, and behind the scenes drama only makes those obstacles worse.

Craig Mazin Has Distanced Himself From Borderlands

Craig Mazin, a showrunner for the hit video game adaptation The Last of Us, was previously credited as a co-writer for Borderlands. Mazin denied his involvement in Borderlands, though, which has caused concern about the quality of the writing and the movie as a whole. His involvement would have made the movie better, and the fact that Mazin publicly distanced himself from Borderlands means that the movie won’t be able to benefit from his input. Creating a video game adaptation is already a daunting task, and Mazin’s help would have been invaluable.

Craig Mazin’s Involvement Could Have Been Great For Borderlands

Mazin could have added a lot to Borderlands, and his absence could be felt in the quality of the movie. Video game adaptations are notoriously difficult to make successfully, as evidenced by recent failures such as Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted. Mazin is one of the few creators who was able to successfully adapt a video game with The Last of Us, and he could have used the same skills and strategies for Borderlands. He understands what makes video games so successful, and which aspects work best in a less interactive medium like film or television.

Video game adaptations are hard to pull off, but Borderlands has an advantage many other franchises lacked.

While not having Craig Mazin is certainly a hit to Borderlands‘ prospects for success, it doesn’t guarantee the movie will be bad. Video game adaptations are hard to pull off, but Borderlands has an advantage many other franchises lacked. Many of the game series’ most endearing qualities, like its stylistic visuals, unique characters, and sense of humor, could easily translate to film. Without Mazin, Borderlands will have a longer road to success, but it will be far from impossible.