Summary

Dylan O’Brien is best know for star in theMaze Runnerfranchise , but he had a perfect replacement action serial lined up several year ago . TheMaze Runnermovie trilogy black market from 2014 to 2018 and render an chance for O’Brien to find his first major activity franchise . After asterisk inTeen Wolf , playing Thomas in the films based on the untried grownup novels enter the door to great opportunity for his vocation . This was mostly due to the moving picture collectively make almost $ 1 billion , signaling to Hollywood that Dylan O’Brien could be capable of carrying military action movie enfranchisement .

Despite countless rumors about superhero picture show part or taking part in a big , established franchise , Dylan O’Brien ’s career after theMaze Runnermoviesconcluded went in a different direction . He refocus a bit on doing small projects that were more graphic symbol - focused while still finding clock time to show off his talent as an action moving-picture show star when potential . The actor still does not have a major unexampled franchise that he is part of six years afterMaze Runner : The Death Cure ’s conclusion . However , he had the ideal alternate franchise lined up before it ended .

The Maze Runner movies to begin with rejected casting Dylan O’Brien as Thomas , as there was a weird reason the director could n’t see him in the role .

Maze Runner Dylan O’Brien Casting

American Assassin Was Positioned To Be Dylan O’Brien’s Next Franchise After Maze Runner

With Dylan O’Brien ’s time inMaze Runnercoming to a finis , the actor found what was mean to be his next big dealership inAmerican Assassin . The 2017 action movie starred him and Michael Keaton as covert CIA fateful ops agents , with O’Brien playing the lead part of Mitch Rapp . He signed onto the project in 2016 after already starting production on his finalMaze Runnermovie . SinceAmerican Assassinwas released by Lionsgate less than a year beforeMaze Runner : The Death Curecame out , it was clear O’Brien had selected this project due to its franchise potential difference .

Chris Hemsworth was considered to bet Mitch Rapp year before Dylan O’Brien was hurl as American Assassin ’s development develop .

American Assassinis based on Vince Flynn ’s book of account series of the same name . The first novel came out in 1999 , and Flynn has worked inexhaustibly over the years to expand Mitch Rapp ’s report into an ongoing serial publication . There arecurrently 23 release books in theAmerican Assassinuniverse , with more on the way even though the author passed away in 2013 . That amount of source material is why dealership expectations were so eminent for the action movie . It ’s understandable , then , why O’Brien could be interested in leading a enfranchisement that could go on for decade .

Dylan O’Brien in Maze Runner and Not Okay

American Assassin Would’ve Allowed Dylan O’Brien’s Action Movie Career To Mature

The idea ofAmerican Assassinbecoming the next big franchise for Dylan O’Brien had more solicitation than just finding a replacement forMaze Runner . The undercover agent activeness serial would have ideally given the actor a prospect to grow as the lead of a major franchise . TheMaze Runnermovies were quite successful , but they were also large in scope , required more CGI at points , and heavily focused on the PG-13 young adult elements like Thomas and Teresa ’s kinship and the adolescent persona growing up . This play at the time for O’Brien , but it was not something to replicate cash in one’s chips ahead .

From a hero trammel in a maze to a clout - chasing influencer , Dylan O’Brien has been a part of some very different movies . But which is his best ?

American Assassinis the opposite ofMaze Runnerin a lot of ways . The film ’s R - rated adaption of the Mitch Rapp novel allow the first photographic film to be more fledged , gritty , and red than what theMaze Runnermovies could do . This allowed for a instinctive maturation in terms of the characters that Dylan O’Brien play , going from a growing leader in Thomas to a hardened killer in Mitch . American Assassineven challenge the actor ’s natural process attainment with more deal - to - hand sequences and combat - point stunts . The film enfranchisement would surely have evolve from there and further foreground O’Brien ’s talents .

Keanu Reeves looking over one shoulder as John Wick in Ballerina

American Assassin’s Box Office Killed Any Franchise Hopes

Unfortunately for O’Brien , these franchise hope were squashed onceAmerican Assassinbombed at the boxwood office . After being met with mostly negative reviews from critics , what face to be a promising legal action picture turned into a financial dashing hopes . American Assassinonly made $ 67.2 million worldwideupon its departure . The flick reportedly only had a budget of $ 30 million , mean that Lionsgate may have broken even on the celluloid at the final stage of the mean solar day if marketing costs were low enough .

Even with that optimistic view on the fiscal execution , American Assassin ’s box office did not clear indicate to Lionsgate that this was a practicable new franchise worth explore further . The studio never officially put any otherMitch Rapp bookinto development as a moving picture , although that was sure to happen if the first had been a success . Without the obvious signals from audiences thatAmerican Assassinwas the first of a story they wanted to see more of , Dylan O’Brien lost his potentialMaze Runnerreplacement and is still looking for a new action franchise as a result .

Dylan O’Brien in American Assassin and Maze Runner

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Mitch Rapp aiming a gun in American Assassin

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The Maze Runner - Franchise

American Assassin