We have many, many reasons to suffer a chill every time a Hollywood studio takes to announce that a video game will hit the big screen. Especially if it is a shooter. And yet, the more we know about the Borderlands movie, the better our expectations.
Ultimately, it is a simmering project (Lionsgate embarked on the film back in 2015) and that not only has the full support of Gearbox, but is also endorsed by a constellation of stars in which Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jack Black stand out as Claptrap himself.
Which, on the other hand, raises reasonable doubt among those who haven’t dived into the game: Who the heck is Claptrap?
From left to right, Lilith and Claptrap. The characters of Cate Blanchett and Jack Black respectively
Much remains to be clarified around the Borderlands movie – casting is still closing – and there is no release date on the horizon. Of course, in VidaExtra we have proposed to compile what we know about the film. On the one hand, because we are very cinephiles. Sure. But also because the announced characters give interesting clues about what we can expect.
Our approach to the film project is simple but successful: let’s review who’s who in Borderlands: the movie. Something really cool, whether or not you played Gearbox games.
What is the Borderlands movie about?
Regarding the source material, Borderlands is not the umpteenth competitive FPS with tactical elements that follows the successful wake of Call of Duty: it is a hooligan shooter starring trigger-happy mercenaries in which humor is intertwined with the most explicit action.
An explosive experience, with marked apocalyptic and science fiction overtones, whose origins refer us to a desolate and lawless planet called Pandora. And, as you can see below, its fauna and climate are not very welcoming.
In the first installment of Borderlands we are introduced to four mercenaries: Lilith the Mermaid, Roland the Soldier, Mordecai the Hunter and Brick the Berserker. Four daredevils with a common goal: locate the legendary Chamber , a treasure with riches beyond imagination and cutting-edge alien technology.
Guided by a guardian angel, the four Vault Hunters managed to make their way into the Chamber. Which, as expected, will result in a succession of reckless acts, misdeeds and collateral catastrophes. Life or death reasons for emptying magazines.
Although there is no official synopsis of the film, the cast of roles to date invites us to think that elements of the first two games and the prequel will be combined:
- On the one hand, Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart will play Lilith and Roland respectively.
- While Ariana Greenblatt and Florian Munteanu will play Tina Chiquitina and Krieg, characters that were introduced in subsequent installments.
Regarding how the plot will be approached, the Full Circle Cinema medium clarified that the weight of the film would fall on Lilith (Cate Blanchett), who will receive an offer that is difficult to refuse:
The film will feature Lilith in the Atlas Corporation space prison, receiving the opportunity to earn her freedom in exchange for rescuing the daughter of the corporation’s CEO, the foul-mouthed Tina Chiquitina, on the planet Pandora.
Unsurprisingly, according to FCM, Atlas’s already delicate assignment is more than just a rescue mission: the girl is the key to accessing an alien vault containing valuable treasure. Fortunately, Lilith will not embark on this adventure alone : the Siren will ally herself with other Vault Hunters, Krieg, Tina’s bodyguard; and a very particular CL4P-TP unit.
Who’s Who in Borderlands: The Movie
With the synopsis ahead of us, it’s time to break down what we know about the confirmed characters so far:
Cate Blanchett is Lilith
Lilith , the protagonist of the Borderlands film is one of the six known mermaids, beings with exceptional abilities and who are easily recognizable by the marks that cover their skin. In Borderlads, the video game, Lilith possesses the unique ability to access another dimension and cause electrical explosions.
In the film, Cate Blanchett will play the role of Lilith. He was the first confirmed cast member of the film (on May 28, 2020) and his career speaks for itself: Blanchett has had roles with great impact in productions of the caliber of The Lord of the Rings , Thor Ragnarok or The Life Aquatic.
Jamie Lee Curtis as Patricia Tannis
A scientist and archaeologist, Tannis will collaborate with Lilith and Roland by helping them access the Chamber. Despite not being a playable vault hunter, in the first installment of Borderlands he is one of the most relevant characters in history and, from there, he has continued to appear offering missions to players.
For her part, Tannis will be played by Jamie Lee Curtis. An icon of cinema and a Scream Queen in her own right: it is impossible to understand the horror and suspense genre without her contributions, especially the Halloween saga, although she has also consolidated her career with hits such as Lies Risky or, more recently, Daggers for the back .
Ariana Greenblatt as Tina Chiquitina
A little 13-year-old explosives expert in Borderlands 2 and a reckless 20-something in the third installment. Tina Chiquitina is one of the most profound characters in the Gearbox saga itself, with a jovial temperament and a really explicit vocabulary that, quite possibly, elevates the film’s age rating.
Curiously, Ariana Greenblatt -who will play Tina on the big screen- comes from the Disney quarry: despite her age, Greenblatt participated in the family comedy Between Brothers and in the Disney + film The One and Only Ivan. It will be interesting to see her in Borderlands.
Haley Bennett
A very curious case: Haley Bennett’s participation in the Borderlands film has been confirmed by Gearbox herself, but no details have been offered on which character she will intentionally play.
Haley Bennett is on a roll. Only in 2020 did he lead the cast of Swallow and participated in The Devil at All Hours . What role will she have in store for her in Borderlands? The only thing that is known is that her character is of great importance to Lilith, the protagonist of the film.
Jack Black es Claptrap
There are many CL4P-TP robots, but as enthusiastic as Claptrap, few. And although Gearbox’s creative director had Dwane ‘The Rock’ Johnson in mind for him when producing the film, the truth is that we can’t wait to see what Jack Black is capable of with the character.
For his part, Jack Black is in his right place when it comes to combining comedy with any other genre. We have seen him in School of Rock , the last two installments of Jumanji (with Kevin Hart), The House of the Clock on the Wall (with Blanchett) and, as the protagonist of the Kung Fu panda films, it can be said that he has experience in lending your voice.
Kevin Hart es Roland
Part of the original quartet of Vault Hunters from the first Borderlands, Roland originally belonged to the Crimson Lance, serving as a soldier for the Atlas Corporation itself. As a character, he is a true weapons expert and one of the most iconic non-playable characters in the sequel.
The role of Roland will be played by comedian Kevin Hart, who has co-starred with Jack Black in the last two Jumanji films, participated in several installments of Scary Movie, the American remake of Intocable, and shared the lead role with The Rock in the action comedy A spy and a half. His touch of hooligan humor marries wonderfully with the spirit of the saga.
Florian Munteanu’s war
Krieg debuted in Borderlands 2 and fitted in wonderfully with the vein of the video game saga. This mountain of muscle is a psychopath with exceptional melee offensive ability, capable of anything to beat his targets.
Unlike his co-stars, the film career of Florian Munteanu, the ex-boxer who will play Krieg, is short. But interesting: his participation in Creed II was groundbreaking and he is currently completing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Who is Eli Roth?
After directing and producing such films as Death Wish, Knock Knock , The House of the Clock on the Wall (featuring Blanchett and Black) and Hostel, he will be in charge of taking the reins of the Borderlands film from the director’s chair.
Roth knows how to adapt to all kinds of genres, but the interesting thing is that he has no qualms about showing explicit violence on screen. Something that game fans will definitely appreciate.
A script signed by Craig Mazin and Avi Arad
With Avi Arad in the production (one of the main promoters of Marvel during its beginnings in the cinema) the libretto of the Borderlands film is in the hands of an exceptional scriptwriter who seems to have found his own vein in apocalyptic stories: Craig Mazin .
Craig Mazin has definitely consolidated his career with HBO through Chernobyl and is also involved in the film project of The last of US. In addition to Mazin, and according to IMDB, the script will be signed by Aaron Berg.
