Mattson Tomlin Talks 'Project Power,' 'Mega Man' Movie, 'The Batman' and More [The Fourth Wall #24]

For a screenwriter, to be featured on the coveted annual Black List is a tremendous accomplishment that’s jumpstarted the career of many of the industry’s hottest writers. If you’re Mattson Tomlin, you’ve not only been featured on that list six times in the past four years, but you’ve done so before the age of thirty. Like the most accomplished athletes, Tomlin regularly exercises his creative muscles averaging anywhere from 8-12 scripts a year. While the writer himself acknowledges many of those scripts aren’t pitch worthy, they have led to the creation of projects such as Netflix’s latest film “Project Power.”

Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, “Project Power” is an original “real world” superhero story that centers around the use of a pill that gives the user unpredictable abilities for five minutes. The story follows a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback), a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and an ex-soldier (Jamie Foxx) as they try to take down the organization responsible for creating the drug and releasing it onto the streets.

With “Project Power,” Tomlin confidently establishes himself as a writer who’s a true fan of comic books, graphic novels, and all the titans of pop culture many of us grew up obsessing over even stating that he considered turning his screenplay into a graphic novel had it not gotten picked up. Perhaps that’s precisely why the film is the perfect precursor to the slew of high profile projects Tomlin is attached to; namely, Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” and the upcoming “Mega Man” movie.

While Tomlin might be attached to some of the hottest upcoming blockbusters, he remains accessible and active on social media and, especially, Reddit eager and willing to pay his good fortune forward. He understands all to well the struggle of being an aspiring screenwriter and wants to give real, honest, and useful advice (no bullshit) while he still can to help the next generation of writers carve out their own path.

During our conversation with Tomlin, we also discussed the responsibility on screenwriters to be honest in their depiction of film’s in the “cop genre” in 2020, the upcoming “Mega Man” movie, the greatness of “Batman: The Animated Series,” “The Batman,” how Bryan Singer’s “X-Men” influenced “Project Power,” why David Fincher’s “Zodiac” is one of the greatest films of the 2010s, and MUCH more.