Dylan O'Brien is making a huge comeback as Mitch Rapp in "American Assassin" which is slated to hit the theaters on September 15. Although he appeared in "Deepwater Horizon," the upcoming movie marks his return to the action scene following his near-death accident on "Maze Runner" set.
Death-defying stunts in 'Maze Runner' series
According to an Express report, the 25-year-old actor was filming "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" when he encountered a terrifying accident on the set. Although director Wes Ball assured that the actor only needed a couple of weeks to recover from his injury, Lorenzo di Bonaventura revealed that O'Brien nearly died because of the incident.
Although he never actually saw the actor at his worst condition, the producer, however, revealed that the incident "was more than disconcerting" and "scary." Di Bonaventura continued, "He came close to dying, I'm pretty sure. It was enough to shake your core."
O'Brien was reportedly transported to a local hospital in Ontario where he received medical treatment for his injuries. The "Maze Runner" team also announced the temporary shutdown of their production after the on-set accident. Aside from this update, the staff, crew and producing company initially refused to provide further details on what took place.
It was later revealed that the "High Road" actor was filming a scene that involved vehicles.
During their shooting, O'Brien was reportedly struck by another car and injured his face. Several months after the incident, the actor was seen filming his new project before he returned to playing as Thomas in "Maze Runner: The Death Cure."
O'Brien returns to action scene with new movie
When asked about why he accepted "American Assassin" even after the tragedy, the American actor confessed that he was drawn to the film's action-packed scenes and story.
"The state that you're in after something like that, you just want to run from all that stuff," he told ET Online.
He went on, "I didn't even want to leave my couch necessarily when I was allowed to, so yeah, it was a big step doing this. I ultimately decided that I wanted to try it and I didn't want to let it go."
The "Maze Runner" alum even confessed that the upcoming action thriller has helped him recover from his nightmare.
Michael Keaton, on the other hand, shared that they are being extra cautious while filming their action scenes to maintain safety. For "American Assassin," Keaton's character as Stan Hurley will train O'Brien's Mitch Rapp to become a hit man to avenge his girlfriend's death in a terror attack.
