Borderlands has always been a big sensation. Since the shooter-RPG debuted in 2009, the vibrant and eccentric science fiction series has become a billion-dollar franchise with a devoted fan base. As of November 2022, the games have reportedly sold more than 77 million copies, so it’s no surprise that a Borderlands movie is just around the corner.
Talk of a Borderlands movie can be traced back to 2015, when Saw writer Leigh Whannell was purportedly working on a script alongside Lionsgate Films. By 2020, however, it seems the movie’s development had come to a halt, only to be restarted with Eli Roth attached to direct and Chernobyl writer and producer Craig Mazin writing the script.
Eli Roth’s Borderlands
With the production of the Borderlands movie underway once more, it wasn’t long before the cast was announced. First, Cate Blanchett joined the cast as Lilith. In the following months, Kevin Hart joined as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Patricia Tannis, and Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap. Ariana Greenblatt and Florian Munteanu were later announced as Tiny Tina and Krieg respectively.
Filming commenced in April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and wrapped in June. Although we’ve seen little of the movie so far, we have seen snippets of teasers and images of the cast. More recently, the movie was revealed to be undergoing reshoots. Deadpool’s Tim Miller stood in for Eli Roth due to his commitments to his upcoming film Thanksgiving. Reshoots are a common practice in filmmaking, but the movie’s prolonged productions and frequent changing of hands are cause for concern. Of course, the fact that it was shot during lockdown can’t have helped. Eli Roth has had a spotty record with films in recent years, though reviews for Thanksgiving seem promising.
Hope for the Borderlands Movie?
It’s safe to imagine the film will stay in line with the game’s irreverent action-comedy tone. Only time will tell whether it lands well with the fans. Between the franchise’s three core games and various spin-offs, fans have developed certain expectations. The star-studded cast seems to suggest a fair bit of money is backing the project. Between Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart, it has potential.
Between the recent success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, the incredible $1 billion gross of Super Mario Bros., and the huge success of Five Nights at Freddy’s, it seems video game movies are more popular than ever. Borderlands certainly has standards to live up to. With the generally increased quality of video game movies, we’re a far cry from the likes of Uwe Boll’s Alone in the Dark and Bloodrayne. Given series’ popularity, it will likely make a decent return at the box office. Whether it’ll be good is another question.
Borderlands is set for an August 9, 2024 theatrical release. Can we expect sequels for years to come, or will it flop?
So, what do you think? Do you have faith that the Borderlands movie will succeed? Will it flop? Let us know in the comments!
