Everything You Need to Know About the New Borderlands Movie

Borderlands in cinemas
Director: Eli Roth
Writer: Eli Roth, Joe Crombie
Producer: Ari Arad, Avi Arad, Erik Feig
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black Jamie Lee Curtis and Ariana Greenblatt
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Running Time: 1h 42m
Age restriction: PG-13 (Violence | Action | Language | Some Suggestive Material)

Based on one of the best-selling video game series of all time, Borderlands is an action comedy film with sci-fi elements that follows an infamous outlaw who returns to her home planet and forms an unexpected alliance with a team of unlikely heroes. Together, they tackle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.

Read on to find out all you need to know about this anticipated new film release.

Borderlands is based on a best-selling video game

Borderlands is one of the most well-respected video game franchises known for its unique blend of action, role-playing elements, and first-person shooter mechanics. The game was released in 2009 and is set in a mythical science fantasy universe. Since then the franchise has grown to include six main games, each offering additional downloadable content for players.

Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart lead the cast of Hollywood A-listers

Borderlands film cast brings Gearbox Software’s popular video game series to life with an A-list ensemble, including the talented Cate Blanchett and the comedic genius of Kevin Hart. Cate leads the production as Lilith, the “Siren” class character from the Borderlands universe.

Kevin Hart taps into his comedy signature to embody the role of Roland, the “Soldier” class character, who hails from the planet Promethea and is a former soldier of the elite private military of the Atlas corporation.

Film icon Jamie Lee Curtis is a scientist and archaeologist known for her expertise in artefacts and technology. Her character Tannis undergoes psychological breakdowns due to the harsh environment and the loss of colleagues.

American actor, comedian, and musician known for his roles in family and comedy films, Jack Black portrays Claptrap in the Borderlands movie. Claptrap is a CL4P-TP general-purpose robot manufactured and programmed with an overenthusiastic personality. The rest of the cast features Hayley Bennett, German boxer turned actor Florian Munteanu and others.

The film is directed by Eli Roth, famous for slasher flicks like Hostel

“I’d always wanted to do a big, fun sci-fi movie, something that was a mix of Star Wars, Escape from New York, Mad Max, and even batshit crazy sci-fi movies like The Fifth Element and Starship Troopers,” Eli Roth explains in an interview with Den of Geek. “I didn’t want to change it to the point that it’s not Borderlands, but I wanted to take it from being a video game to being a great sci-fi film. My loyalty is to the movie.”

“I’d had meetings for video game movies before, and it’s always like, ‘Well, you can’t change things without approval of this company and this company.’ That’s not for me. You have to adapt to a different medium.”

As a director, Eli’s film credits are mostly centred around slasher cult classics such as Hostel, Cabin Fever and Grindhouse. He delivered an award-winning acting performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.

When is the Borderlands movie release date, and where can you see it?

Borderlands is brought to you by KOODOO and will be released in South African cinemas nationwide on 9 August 2024. Tickets can be booked at Ster Kinekor cinemas in Cape Town.