Names like Michael Bacall or John August fall in that bracket of Hollywood screenwriters who appear to have emerged from nowhere onto high-profile projects, when really their professional clout is informed by the many years of hard work beforehand. Writer Dan Mazeau may not yet have the same laundry list of credits under his belt — he previously penned “Wrath of the Titans” and the “Bleach” manga adaptation — but a pair of new assignments with two of the biggest action stars around looks to change that fact.
The start of 2013 showcased Tom Cruise‘s affection for sci-fi as the actor fielded questions over three projects: “Oblivion,” next year’s “Edge of Tomorrow,” and an adaptation of the Chōhei Kambayashi novel “Yukikaze.” The last project had already seen an anime version made, but while Cruise was hovering around it for some time, it seems to be pushing forward into a reality, with Mazeau on script duties. The film follows Cruise as the leader of the Fairy Air Force (FAF), who takes to the sky above Antarctica to fight an invading alien force.
In all, a role that Cruise could fulfill during the laziest of Sunday afternoons, but hopefully Mazeau puts a spin on the material to keep it from the Maverick-meets-“Pacific Rim” hole into which it could so easily fall. Speaking of optimistic approaches toward tired convention, Mazeau has also been tapped to re-write “World’s Most Wanted,” an action-adventure film starring Vin Diesel, originating from a draft by video-game writers Will Staples and Sean O’Keefe.
The story details thus far end with the title and star, but Diesel is producing the flick alongside Neal Moritz, producer of “The Fast and the Furious” series, so mark your predictions down accordingly. One thing’s almost certain though: if both projects go swimmingly, expect Mezeau’s name to crop up near many future studio efforts. [Variety/Deadline]
