The Vault Hunters have become Hollywood A-listers, and the wilds of Pandora are about to become one of the must-see locations on the silver screen. That’s right gamers, the Borderlands movie release date is finally on the way. The long, long wait is very nearly over.
Lionsgate announced plans for a Borderlands film way back in 2015 and, with Eli Roth now firmly settled in the director’s chair, this could be one of the best video game movies ever made. Here’s everything you should know about Borderlands and whether we can expect more new movies from the franchise. After all, there’s plenty of material from the games that we can’t wait to see on the big screen.
What is the Borderlands movie release date?
You’ll finally be able to see the Borderlands movie on Friday August 9, 2024. That date frankly can’t come soon enough.
This puts it one week before the new Alien movie release date, which would be a fun sci-fi two-parter. Move over Barbenheimer, because there’s a new double bill in town.
Filming began on April 1, 2021, in Budapest, during COVID-19, and concluded on June 22 of the same year, according to the below set image featuring Claptrap (who will be voiced by Jack Black). You might be wondering why it has been in the can with little to no fanfare during post-production… and that’s a long story.
When a film is held back like this, it can be because of VFX issues, quality control, reshoots, or marketing budget reasons, to name just a few elements. We know for certain that Borderlands underwent extensive reshoots, with director Eli Roth leaving the project to be replaced by Deadpool’s Tim Miller.
However, we know that this was simply because of Roth’s commitments to slasher movie Thanksgiving, and nothing to do with behind-the-scenes problems on Borderlands. Phew! Miller told Collider it was a “freeing experience” to do reshoots on another director’s movie, saying the movie is a “good ride”. It sounds like everyone’s pretty happy.
After all, reshoots aren’t inherently bad. Most of the best movies to come from big franchises have had them, but it is a sign that someone up top wanted to make changes. Equally, the decision to hire Miller shows that the studio wanted to preserve Borderlands’ essential comedic (but violent) tone, which is great news. When we actually get to see the final movie, we’ll get a better sense of what precisely happened.
Who is in the Borderlands movie cast?
The cast of the Borderlands movie features some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including two Oscar winners: Cate Blanchett as Lilith and Jamie Lee Curtis as Patricia.
In support will be Kevin Hart and Jack Black, as well as plenty of other names you’re bound to recognize. Curtis has been a particularly vocal advocate for the film ever since she was first attached and explained that Dr Tannis will keep some of her stranger elements from the games.
“She’s a strange woman who has objectum sexuality, where she falls in love with inanimate objects,” said Curtis. We’re fascinated to see what she does with the role.
As for Blanchett, it has been a long time since we saw her in full-on action mode and we can’t wait to see what she brings to Lilith. When you’re making what fans hope will be among the best action movies of all time, it helps to have an Oscar-winning star at the top of the call sheet. The signs are good.
Here is the Borderlands movie cast list:
- Cate Blanchett as Lilith
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr Patricia Tannis
- Kevin Hart as Roland
- Jack Black as Claptrap
- Gina Gershon as Mad Moxxi
- Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina
- Florian Munteanu as Krieg
- Edgar Ramirez as Atlas
- Oliver Richters as Krom
- Janina Gavankar as Commander Knoxx
- Cheyenne Jackson as Jakobs
- Charles Babalola as Hammerlock
- Benjamin Byron Davis as Marcus
- Steven Boyer as Scooter
- Ryann Redmond as Ellie
- Bobby Lee as Larry
What is the Borderlands movie about?
The Borderlands movie will follow the outlaw Lilith as she puts together a team of mercenaries in order to find a missing girl who holds the key to unlocking enormous power.
Lilith has exactly the sort of shady past you’d expect of a renowned outlaw, but she’s forced to assemble a team on Pandora in order to find the daughter of Atlas. He’s described in the official synopsis as “the universe’s most powerful S.O.B.”, which tells you everything you need to know.
Once Lilith has pulled her group together, with more than a few similarities to the Guardians of the Galaxy cast, she’ll head off to find the girl and unveil the secrets of her power. It’s a videogame quest, so you know the general flavor, but it’s definitely the tone and the humor that makes Borderlands special. For the film to work, it needs to mimic that.
In fact, Marvel has been a bit of a touchstone for this whole thing, as Roth explained to IGN. “I really worked with [Gearbox Software CEO] Randy Pitchford, and he goes: ‘Think of it like Marvel, where the comics are their own canon and the movies are their own canon, and you don’t have to be married to it’.”
Roth adeed: “So we could use certain things, but I didn’t want to have to be too slavish. I didn’t just want to film the game. We wanted to tell a great story on its own, but of course it’s loaded with Easter eggs for the fans. It’s a big movie.”
The best way to get to grips with the plot of Borderlands is, of course, to play the game. It’s brilliant, and one of the best FPS games ever, helping to bring in a new era for the genre with its colorful visuals and uniquely comedic feel.
Is there a Borderlands movie trailer?
There’s no trailer for the Borderlands movie just yet, and we think it will be early 2024 before we get our first proper look at the movie.
Having said that, we know that principal photography wrapped two years ago, so there’s always a chance that Lionsgate decides to throw us a bone and show us what they’ve been working on. But while we wait for the first look at a live-action Pandora, you can enjoy this trailer from the videogame.
Where can I watch the Borderlands movie?
The Borderlands movie will be exclusive to cinemas initially, but then it will almost certainly head over to the streaming service Peacock so you can watch it at home.
Lionsgate struck a deal with Peacock that sees all of the studio’s feature-length movies make their way to the platform eventually. We expect a standard theatrical window and then a VOD release to come before that, however.
That’s everything we know about the Borderlands movie so far. While we await more info, see what we think of other game-related Hollywood happenings with The Last of Us season 2 release date and our story on how God of War’s director shot down The Rock rumors. We’ve also delved into the videogame TV series we need to see after The Last of Us.