If you like science fiction, action, and comedy, you’re going to love the new Borderlands movie. It’s based on a video game franchise but that’s not really that much important. The video game just provides the framework for the writers and directors to work with. This is not going to be some esoteric and mysterious movie made for the fans of the video game. On the contrary, Borderlands movie is a fun adventure movie taking place on a visually dazzling planet called Pandora and featuring diverse and likable characters. We will be following Lilith, an experienced mercenary who returns to her home planet to find Emperor’s missing daughter.
To make this happen, she’s going to have to assemble a team and then fight various monsters, gangs, and robots. So, a standard-issue space actioner structure with a bit of spicy dialogue on top. What made the video game different and what’s going to make this movie different from other, similar ones, is the distinct cell-shaded or comic-book visual style. Now, we’re not really sure just how far they’re willing to take this because there are no stills from the movie. Judging by Lilith’s behind-the-scenes looks, we should not expect something like A Scanner Darkly.
The cast of the new Borderlands movie is excellent led by three veterans: Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, and Jack Black as Claptrap the robot. Apart from them, we’ll also have the opportunity to see Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Lee, and Gina Gershon. The director of the movie is none other than Eli Roth! You might remember him as the guy behind such horror movies as Hostel and The Green Inferno. However, his last movie was The House with a Clock in Its Walls (also starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett), an action fantasy that did pretty well at the box office.
I also want to mention that the writer is Craig Mazin, the creator of both Chernobyl and The Last of Us television shows. Filming was completed in Hungary on June 22, 2021, almost two years ago. After the completion of the first rough cut and subsequent screening, something went wrong. We still don’t know what the studios or other parties didn’t like but additional reshoots were ordered in January of 2023. Since Eli Roth was busy with the production of his next movie, Tim Miller (Deadpool) stepped in as the new director of this reshoot. Apparently, we’re talking about two weeks which is not a lot. After that, it’s time for the movie to enter the post-production process once again.
Since the story is taking place on an alien planet, I’m guessing there’s going to be a lot of CGI. This means that any changes may take a lot of time to implement. To sum things up, we can expect the new Borderlands movie to hit theaters sometime in 2024. Since Lionsgate owns the rights it will be available for streaming on their new platform Lionsgate Plus. It’s so funny that there are so many of these plus streaming platforms. Maybe they all can get together and create one nameless plus platform. As a fan of the first two video games, I can’t wait to check out this movie. And I’m feeling positive about the crew involved. Now, all we have to do is wait.
Finally, I do have to mention John McTiernan’s new movie Tau Ceti Foxtrot since we announced it not too long ago. It also features a blend of science fiction, comedy and action taking place on a distant planet. And it also follows a band of mercenaries fighting against various creatures and gangs. To make things even crazier, it’s also set to be released next year. So, we can already say that 2024 is going to be the year of space action. Something I’ve been waiting to say for a long time. And if I might add to that, just keep ’em coming. And I hope that this superhero craze is finally over.
– – – – – – Big Update – – – – – –
The official release date for the new Borderlands movie is August 9, 2024. And you can check out the trailer below. It looks like one crazy and entertaining ride.
