Heavyweight boxer Florian Munteanu, a.k.a. "Big Nasty", is the latest cast member to join director Eli Roth's upcoming video game adaptation Borderlands. Film fans may know Munteanu from his role as Viktor Drago in Creed II.
"Big Nasty" is taking on the role of Krieg, "the hulking protector of teenage explosives expert Tiny Tina. Krieg, which means 'war' in German, wields a buzz axe and breathes fire."
Munteanu's Borderlands co-stars include Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Patricia Tannis, Jack Black as the voice of robot Claptrap, and Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina.
Roth had this to say about the latest addition to the cast:
Florian brings real humanity and multiple layers to a character who on the surface seems totally insane and brutally savage. Krieg was by far the most difficult role to cast, and Florian brought him to life and grounded him in a way that I didn’t know was possible. He’s going to be a brilliant Krieg and will fit in perfectly with our incredible cast."
The screenplay for the film has been written by Chernobyl's Craig Mazin. The Borderlands video game has the following synopsis:
Pandora is believed to be rich with mineral wealth leading several interstellar megacorporations to send colony ships there to capitalize on it, but once they arrive, they find little of value outside of undecipherable alien artifacts from a long-extinct race known as the Eridians, and numerous native lifeforms make it too dangerous. Many of the corporations abandon the planet, leaving behind their workforce, former prisoners coerced into employment, who take over much of the planet as bandits and raiders. However, a study of the alien artifacts leads to the discovery of mythical Eridian Vaults filled with untold treasure and wealth, which are guarded by extremely powerful and ancient monsters. Corporations and military forces return to the planet, along with a number of Vault Hunters who seek to find the Vaults themselves.
Avi Arad and Ari Arad of Arad Productions are producing the film with Erik Feig of Picturestart.
Before we see Munteanu as Krieg, we'll hopefully (if the pandemic allows theatres to open and stay open) be seeing him as Razor Fist in the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. That film is currently scheduled for a July 9 release.