The argument for Eli Roth's BORDERLANDS being a thing that we need to see keeps getting stronger by the minute, as it's been announced that Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett will lead the film's cast as Lilith, a siren and legendary thief equipped with magical skills. Equipped with a silver tongue, an attitude to match, and a longing to blow holes in the faces of every enemy she encounters, Lilith uses her superhuman powers to gain an edge on those who stand in her way.
In talking about Blanchett boarding the big screen video game adaptation, Roth said,
I'm so lucky to have the amazing Cate Blanchett starring in Borderlands. We had the most incredible collaboration together on The House with a Clock in Its Walls, and I believe there’s nothing she can’t do. From drama to comedy and now action, Cate makes every scene sing. Working with her is truly a director’s dream come true, and I feel so fortunate that I get to do it again on an even bigger scale. Everyone brings their A-game to work with Cate, and I know together we’re going to create another iconic character in her already storied career.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Borderlands video game franchise, the madcap first-person, loot-based shooter is filled with colorful characters, a plethora of profanity, and more guns than John Wick could ever dream of, has sold over 57 million units worldwide, including 22 million units of Borderlands 2 – which in my opinion is still the best installment of the series. A third chapter of the franchise, Borderlands 3, was released in September 2019, which has already sold more than 8 million units worldwide.
Based on the bestselling PC and console gaming experience from developer Gearbox Software and publisher 2K, a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), Borderlands will be produced by Avi Arad and Ari Arad, who produce through their Arad Productions banner, and Erik Feig, through PICTURESTART, who have shepherded the project and overseen development, including the latest draft of the screenplay by the two-time Emmy-winning screenwriter Craig Mazin. The film’s executive producers are Randy Pitchford, executive producer of the Borderlands video game franchise and founder of the Gearbox Entertainment Company, and Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive.
Flabbergasted. That is what I am when it comes to the reality of Blanchett joining the film adaptation of BORDERLANDS. Granted she and Roth have a working relationship after Blanchett starred alongside Jack Black for the director's THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, but still. This is Cate Blanchett we're talking about, and video game adaptations don't exactly have the best track record at the box office. That said, what if BORERLANDS ends up changing the game? What if other notable actors join this project and suddenly BORDERLANDS becomes a must-see affair? It could happen, and dammit, I really hope that it does.