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Tag: dylan-obrien

  • ‘American Assassin’ Star Dylan O’Brien Reveals His New Philosophy for Stunts

    Dylan O’Brien is going through some pretty seismic career shifts right now.

    His beloved MTV series “Teen Wolf” is coming to an end on September 24, after six highly rated seasons (he played Stiles, the character originated by Jerry Levine in the original film). And early next year, “The Maze Runner” trilogy closes with “The Death Cure,” a movie that was pushed back after O’Brien suffered a horrifying injury on set (more on that in a minute).

    But, as the saying goes, with every door that closes another one opens, and this week O’Brien headlines another potential franchise in “American Assassin.” Based on the series of Vince Flynn novels that center around spy Mitch Rapp, this film shows us the origin of the character, as he goes from a wounded young man to someone willing to face various terrorist threats head on.

    At a recent press day for the film, we got to sit down with O’Brien to talk about the injury, about “Teen Wolf” and “Maze Runner” wrapping up, and about what he learned from his “American Assassin” costar Michael Keaton.

    Moviefone: Along with “The Maze Runner,” this is your second film based on a hugely popular book series.

    O’Brien: Yep. I keep doing them.

    Is there any hesitation on your end before you sign on?

    No. Not for that reason. For me, the decision always comes down to if I want to dive into this role, if I want to be the guy to tell this story, if I feel that the script and story are strong, if I feel like the filmmaker is strong. It’s everything but, really. But then you start doing press and realize, wow, I hope people like this.

    The other thing, of course, is that you could be doing this for a while.

    Yeah. I’m not totally in jail. I think signing up for a Marvel contract is much worse. But there could be a few movies. But I have some control over it, too.

    Is there an aspect of fun, too? It seems almost like going back to school. Like, “Time to go do another ‘Maze Runner.’”

    Oh, totally. Getting to play a character over a lengthy period of time is always a pleasure, especially if you like the character. You grow attached to them in a certain way. I’ve felt that way with Stiles, the “Teen Wolf” character I play — and my “Maze Runner” character, too. It gets a little sentimental when you bid them farewell. It’s like, “Oh, wow — this is my last day on set as this guy.”You’re done with “Teen Wolf” now, right?

    And “Maze Runner.”

    Was it emotional?

    Oh, absolutely. It hits you. With “Teen Wolf,” I was always aware of it. Season to season, we wouldn’t even know if we were going again next year. So I got used to it. It was always, “Well, this could be it.” I couldn’t be happier with how long it lasted, the success the show had was really unbelievable. There were so many good people that I love dearly now that were a part of the process. It was such a great thing for everyone. And “Maze Runner,” too, is really close to my heart. I’m so glad I got to finish that, and on such a positive note. But it’s always sad.

    Even though you might not have been worried about the fans, once you got the role in “American Assassin,” did you read a bunch of the books? What was that process like for you?

    I went through the one that we’re doing, obviously. Because I kind of knew from the first ten books, where you’re following the character as a full-grown man, that he was a bruiser. I think he probably had a thicker neck than I do and a huskier build. I was really taken with playing with that aspect of him, but adjusting it more to what I see him doing, since it’s filtered through me, ultimately. What was really interesting to me was the emotional arc he goes through. But you don’t really see that, in a way. I liked that this guy’s thick skin and toughness came as a guard. It’s not a front, necessarily, but it’s his way of dealing with the pain that’s inside of him.

    This movie obviously has a lot of stunts. You were injured doing a stunt. And it’s so nice to see that you’re okay.

    Aw, thanks.

    And that seemed like a fairly serious injury.

    Yes, it was very serious.

    Was there any hesitation or resistance on your part in terms of signing up for something that would have this much action?

    Oh, absolutely. I shied away from the whole thing, at first. When you go through something like that, it was a really scary thing that I was lucky to come away from. Everything inside of me, for months, was telling me to run away from stuff. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life. So there was absolutely trepidation. And for the longest time, I was writing it off. I was dealing with other things and didn’t want to think about work. But at the same time, I didn’t want to let it go. And I also thought it’d be good for me to do it, despite innately inside screaming and being like “No, absolutely not.”

    Eventually, you do have to face that beast and that’s the only way you can properly process it. I’m very happy that I made the decision to stick with the movie. And we did it in the right way, particularly because of what I was coming off of. We had to be careful of certain things and I had certain restrictions.

    But, ultimately, it was a good thing because it motivated everybody to do it in the right way. When you’re dealing with things like this on a set — and I’ll always preach this for as long as I live after going through what I went through — but safety is paramount. I think sometimes that gets lost in the fold a little bit. People can get lost in that little world you’re in on a set, and you’re making believe and it’s all fake. But people can still get hurt — and you’re dealing with really serious things. I go about it all differently now. I’m very meticulous with the stunts that I am asked to do, and I feel like I don’t have to do anything I’m not comfortable with doing. It’s a good thing for people to be aware of, and have a really safe shoot, which is what we did.

    Were you able to use that experience for this character? Obviously, he’s injured early on in the movie and has to build himself back up.

    In a lot of ways there was a lot of parallels for me. A lot of the reason that I didn’t want to let it go, at the end of the day, was because I felt more connected to this guy than I ever could have. Obviously not dealing with the exact same thing, but I had a lot to draw on and was discovering things about this guy that I would never have discovered. There were things that I wanted to implement and even his whole look, that was all discovered myself in my post-accident recovery. There are so many things in the forefront of your mind that you’re not going out to get a haircut. Your daily functioning is disrupted and you realize that months go by and you haven’t shaved or cut your hair. I just felt like I understood this guy.

    Were you still able to enjoy yourself? Because it seems like fight training can be fun.

    Absolutely. And it’s actually really soothing, too. Training like that is good for your mind. I understand why people can become addicted to it. I get that it’s really good for you and not just physically. That’s probably what struck me most about the training — it was really good for me at a time I really needed it, too.

    Was part of the appeal of the character that physical transformation?

    Yes. I tried to make that transformation as much of a contrast as I could. I would love to do the Tom Hanks, take six months off for “Cast Away,” but that’s not how things are done anymore unfortunately. I started the movie in the best shape I could get into in two months, and tried to hold onto that for as long as I could. Then, at the end at some point, I stopped training in the last month, in preparation to do the beginning scene at the end. I had to lose as much as I could in that time. I wanted it to be a jump. Just as far as the authenticity of the film goes, and the story — if he wakes up 18 months later and sees the shape that he’s in and get an idea of what he’s been doing every day since that happened. I hope that comes across.

    What was it like working with Michael Keaton? Did you watch him and take cues?

    Yeah, I think why younger actors do that a lot is, for me, is it’s fascinating to see a guy who you’ve watched forever, and the amount of performances you’ve seen of his that you think are brilliant, it’s then really brilliant to see how they go about achieving that. You want to see what their process is like. It could be any version of it. Whenever I’ve gotten to work with guys who are pretty prominent, prolific actors, I always observe how they are. Keaton is funny. He’s been great for so many decades and he’s not a psychopath. You can achieve that greatness by being smart and having a good work ethic and can still be a good human. That’s the biggest thing I took away from watching him.This movie is pretty firmly planted in the spy genre. Do you have a favorite?

    “True Lies.” That would have to be my favorite spy movie of all time. It’s a classic.

    Should this franchise continue, do you have say in the character or have you suggested the next book they develop?

    I have to give so much credit to Michael Cuesta. He allowed us to have so much input. I couldn’t think of another director who would have tolerated me coming to them with seven pages of notes. And listen and be opened eared to every single one of them. I couldn’t be more grateful. So, if we all sign up to do it again I would get to be a part of it, in terms of the development process.

    “American Assassin” is everywhere this Friday.

  • Michael Keaton on Beating Up Dylan O’Brien in American Assassin

    Michael Keaton and Dylan O'Brien from American Assassin
    Michael Keaton and Dylan O’Brien from American Assassin

    Let’s do the math. Michael Keaton is 66 years old. Dylan O’Brien is 26. That’s 40 extra years Keaton has on his “American Assassin” costar. And yet the script calls for him to kick O’Brien around. How does he do it?

    It turns out Keaton had the same question.

    “You have to be realistic about it,” Keaton tells Made in Hollywood reporter Kylie Erica Mar. ” Realistically, look at the age difference, look at the condition this kid’s in. I know it’s a movie where you have to buy into a lot of things. But you have to believe that my character could actually do what he can do.”

    The key, says Keaton, was realizing that this same issue drives his character, Stan Hurley, a Cold War veteran who takes CIA black ops recruit Mitch Rapp (O’Brien) under his wing, only to have them battling each other.

    “I thought, obviously this guy has to stay in the game,” explains Keaton. “How many more good years does he have left? He has to stay in the game physically. But he’s smarter, because realistically he couldn’t physically probably do day to day what I do in the movie. So he’s like: How do I apply smarts to the physical aspect of taking a guy like this down?”

    This acting challenge, says Keaton, was critical, which is why Keaton does most of his own stunts, while always respecting his limitations.

    “If you can do them yourself, it’s kind of fun. I get bored sitting around,” he says. “But if someone can do them better than I can, let the stuntmen do them. They’re better than I am at it. So I don’t have a real macho thing about it.”

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  • Dylan O’Brien Resurfaces to Promote ‘American Assassin’ Trailer

    Hey, stranger! Dylan O’Brien just tweeted to his 4.6 million followers for the first time since October 2016, to promote the trailer for his upcoming movie “American Assassin.”

    You may recall how, last year around this time, O’Brien was recovering from serious injuries suffered on the set of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure.” In May 2016, it was reported that O’Brien was set to play Mitch Rapp in “American Assassin,” based on Vince Flynn’s bestselling series, with Michael Keaton as co-star.

    Fast-forward to today, and O’Brien broke his Twitter silence to tweet this teaser for the “American Assassin” trailer:

    Most of the replies are just fans expressing shock that he actually tweeted. As Teen Vogue noted, O’Brien has been “pretty MIA” since his “Maze Runner” accident, and he was nowhere to be found when the “Teen Wolf” cast got together to celebrate the show’s 100th episode milestone. However, it’s likely he just had a scheduling conflict with “Maze Runner,” which halted filming after O’Brien’s injury, but is now back in action and expected to be released January 12, 2018.

    Anyway, the full trailer for “American Assassin” is now out: Here’s the film’s synopsis, from CBS Films:

    “AMERICAN ASSASSIN follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War in the Middle East.”

    The movie, potentially the first of a series, is scheduled for release in theaters on September 15.

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  • Get Your First Look at Dylan O’Brien in ‘American Assassin’

    Dylan O’Brien is unstoppable. (Please don’t take that as a dare, Universe!) He was infamously injured earlier this year on the set of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” which will re-start production this February 2017 for a 2018 release, but now he’s hard at work on “American Assassin,” the start of a potential film franchise based on Vince Flynn’s bestselling novels.

    O’Brien was announced back in May for the “star-making role” of covert CIA operative Mich Rapp. Deadline said, at the time, that production would begin in the fall, working around O’Brien’s recovery from the “Maze Runner” injuries.

    Collider shared Lionsgate’s first photo of O’Brien as Rapp, and our boy looks pretty darn good:This is the first official shot we’ve seen of O’Brien since his injuries, although a fan snapped a photo of him with some healthy-looking scruff earlier this summer.

    Here’s the official synopsis for the movie:

    “AMERICAN ASSASSIN follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War in the Middle East.”

    There’s no release date yet for “American Assassin,” which is now filming in Europe, but you should be able to see O’Brien soon in “Teen Wolf” Season 6 (starts in November), and then in “The Death Cure,” which is now scheduled for January 2018.

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  • ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ to Restart Production Around Original Release Date

    "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" New York PremiereBetter late than never. And better safe than sorry. And better luck this time! “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” has been lost in its own maze since star Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured during filming. That happened back in mid-March 2016 and shut down production. Production was initially meant to resume shortly afterward, but O’Brien’s “very serious” injuries led to further delays. The film’s release date was moved back a year, from February 17, 2017 to January 12, 2018.

    But now, Deadline reports, production will start up again this February 2017. So they’ll resume filming right around the time they were originally hoping to release the movie.

    In late April, The Hollywood Reporter quoted a report from WorkSafeBC to described O’Brien’s injuries as a “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations.” He was reportedly in harness on top of a moving vehicle when he was unexpectedly pulled off that vehicle and hit by another one. According to Deadline, O’Brien was said to “have fractured either his cheekbone or orbital socket after a stunt sequence went awry.”

    O’Brien was recently seen in public for the first time in a while when a Jamba Juice employee snapped a photo with him. He looked good, so let’s hope things stay good into 2017 and 2018.

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  • Dylan O’Brien Looks Healthy (and Hairy) in First Post-Injury Photo

    MTV Teen Wolf Los Angeles Premiere Party - ArrivalsHey, stranger! It’s been a while since we’ve seen “Teen Wolf” star Dylan O’Brien in public, but now he’s rocking enough hair to pass for a werewolf himself. (Maybe he’s the new Bigfoot and this is an official sighting.) O’Brien has been keeping a low profile since his serious injuries on the set of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure.” That film was rescheduled from its February 2017 release to January 2018, to give the star enough time to heal.

    It’s hard gauge his health from here, but he looks pretty good in the new photo, taken by 16-year-old Vanessa Denegri during her shift at the Jamba Juice in Sherman Oaks, CA. (FYI, O’Brien apparently picked up a couple of Kale-ribbean Breezes with Whey Protein. Now you know.)

    Here’s the photo she shared, blocking her own face because she didn’t like how she looked:


    O’Brien was hurt in mid-March while filming a stunt for “The Death Cure.” He was reportedly wearing a harness on top of a moving vehicle when he was unexpectedly pulled off that vehicle and hit by another one. The Hollywood Reporter quoted a report from WorkSafeBC, describing the actor’s injuries as “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations.” The “Maze Runner” crew originally expected him to be back to finish the film within a “few weeks.” But his publicist later updated to say his injuries were “very serious” and he needed more time to recover. That led the film to shut down production in late April.

    But the film is still happening, if a year after-the-fact, and Comicbook added that O’Brien will also be in “Teen Wolf” Season 6. Showrunner Jeff Davis said his character, Stiles, “is a big part of the season because a lot of this season’s mystery revolves around him.”

    “Teen Wolf” Season 6, the final season, premieres Tuesday, November 15. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” is now scheduled for January 12, 2018.

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  • ‘Maze Runner: Death Cure’ Has New Release Date, Forcing Other Changes

    We finally have an update on the status of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure.” It was originally scheduled to come out February 17, 2017, but after star Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured during filming, production was shut down. As far as we know, it’s still shut down, but Fox shuffled its schedule around and announced that “The Death Cure” will eventually get itself back up and running, and it will now be released on January 12, 2018.

    O’Brien was hurt in mid-March, but “The Death Cure” director Wes Ball and company originally expected the star to be back on set to finish the film within “a few weeks.” But a later update from O’Brien’s publicist noted that the actor’s injuries were “very serious” and he needed more time to recover. That led to the late April production shutdown. Not long after that, it was reported that O’Brien was in talks for the lead role in “American Assassin,” which plans to start production this fall. According to Deadline, they would be “working around O’Brien’s recovery from injuries.”

    That was a hopeful note about his progress, and this public announcement of a new “Death Cure” release date is still more hopeful news. However, moving “Death Cure” meant shuffling some other releases around, and Fox announced several new dates while updating on “Maze Runner.”

    Here’s the new lineup, via Deadline:

    Morgan, Directed by Luke Scott and starring Kate Mara: wide release September 2, 2016.

    Keeping Up With The Joneses, Directed by Greg Mottola and starring Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm, Zach Galifianakis: wide release on October 21, 2016.

    Rules Don’t Apply, written and Directed by Warren Beatty and starring Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, Warren Beatty: wide release on November 11, 2016.

    A Cure For Wellness: moves from March 24, 2017 to February 17, 2017.

    Red Sparrow: wide release November 10, 2017.

    Murder On The Orient Express: moves from November 10, 2017 to Wednesday, November 22, 2017.

    Predator: moves from March 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018.

    UNTITLED FOX/MARVEL: moves from January 12, 2018 to March 2, 2018.

    UNTITLED FOX/MARVEL: moves from July 13, 2018 to June 29, 2018.

    Alita: Battle Angel, directed by Robert Rodriguez: wide release, on July 20, 2018.

    Are those Fox/Marvel movies the “Deadpool” sequel and another “X-Men” movie? They are a long while off, at any rate, and now “Death Cure” has one of their spots. What do you think about this new schedule?

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  • Dylan O’Brien to Star in ‘American Assassin,’ Working Around Injuries: Report

    MTV Teen Wolf Los Angeles Premiere Party - ArrivalsLast we heard, filming for “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” was put on hold indefinitely while star Dylan O’Brien recovered from his injuries. Initially, there was hope that he would return to filming that right about now, but a statement was issued in late April to say his injuries were “very serious” and he needed more time. But there’s hope on the horizon, at least for another movie, since Deadline said O’Brien is in negotiations to play Mitch Rapp in “American Assassin,” based on Vince Flynn’s bestselling series. Michael Keaton has already signed on to co-star as Stan Hurley, the Cold War veteran who mentors the young assassin.

    According to Deadline, O’Brien would not only play the title character in the “star-making role” as a covert CIA operative, he’d age in the role over time — starting as college-aged Mitch, and then maturing in what is hoped to be a film franchise. Since Mitch Rapp appears in 14 bestselling novels, there’s a lot of potential for the role.

    What about O’Brien’s injuries? Deadline said production on “American Assassin” begins in the fall, “and they will be working around O’Brien’s recovery from injuries.” Production doesn’t necessarily mean filming, there’s a lot to do before the actors show up, but this does suggest O’Brien is progressing in his recovery, especially since this sounds like another action-packed role.

    What about “Maze Runner”? No idea. Maybe O’Brien can finish filming that before starting “American Assassin” — if/when he’s even confirmed for Mitch Rapp, beyond these negotiations. Or perhaps they’ll have to push “Death Cure” back a year. Stay tuned.

    What do you think about Dylan O’Brien as Mitch Rapp?

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  • Dylan O’Brien’s ‘Very Serious’ Injuries Worse Than Expected, ‘Maze Runner’ on Hold

    This is getting scary.

    Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured while shooting “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” in mid-March. Director Wes Ball tweeted on March 19 that Dylan was expected to be back up and running to finish the film “after a few weeks.” And co-star Giancarlo Esposito told E! News in early April that Dylan was “healing very well” and expected to recover enough to return to filming in mid-May.

    But not so fast. On April 29, The Hollywood Reporter updated that production has been shut down indefinitely with insiders saying the actor’s injuries are more severe than initially believed.

    “His injuries are very serious, and he needs more time to recover,” his publicist, Jennifer Allen, told THR. A statement from Fox added, “The resumption of principal photography on ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ has been further delayed to allow Dylan O’Brien more time to fully recover from his injuries. We wish Dylan a speedy recovery and look forward to restarting production as soon as possible.”

    THR quoted a report from WorkSafeBC, describing Dylan’s injuries as “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations.” Sources told the site he was in a harness on top of a moving vehicle when he was unexpectedly pulled off that vehicle and hit by another one. Yikes.

    The shooting schedule for this third film in the “Maze Runner” franchise is hardly the first priority, but a lot of jobs are tied to it, and there’s no firm timeline for when it will resume. Sources told THR the cast and crew have been sent home, and a new start date depends not only on the actor’s recovery but the ability to get the huge cast and crew back together again. As of now, it doesn’t seem like the film will make its February 17, 2017, release date.

    Keep your eyes peeled for updates, perhaps from Dylan O’Brien or Wes Ball on Twitter. Heal at your own pace, man!

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  • ‘Maze Runner’ Star Dylan O’Brien Is ‘Healing Very Well’ After Set Injury

    MTV Teen Wolf Los Angeles Premiere Party - Arrivals“The Maze Runner” and star Dylan O’Brien, who was seriously injured in an on-set accident a few weeks ago, is on the mend, according to co-star Giancarlo Esposito.

    “He’s healing very well,” Esposito told E! News at the premiere of “The Jungle Book,” in which he voices Akela. “He got put together a couple of weeks ago … He’s one tough cookie.”

    Esposito added that O’Brien is expected to recover enough to return to filming “The Maze Runner: Death Cure” on May 15.

    A safety report seems to indicate O’Brien suffered a “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations” after falling off a motorcycle that went into a slide after a stunt.

    “He got his bell rung. I would imagine many who witnessed thought that was it … [But] he’s a survivor,” Esposito said. The one good thing about Dylan that I think is going to help him get back on schedule with us very soon is he has a great attitude.”

    “The Maze Runner: Death Cure” is the third film in the franchise, based on the popular dystopian YA novels. O’Brien also stars in MTV’s “Teen Wolf.”

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