"Borderlands" has been thrilling players since 2009 with its unique comic style, crazy characters and lots of insane action. This successful combination has led to the games series selling more than 50 million copies worldwide. Of course, this also attracts the attention of Hollywood, which is why preparations for the "Borderlands" movie started back in 2015. The release is now finally approaching - so it's high time to take a look behind the scenes. When is "Borderlands" being released in theaters? Who's in it and what is it all about? We got all the answers for you here in this article!

The World of Borderlands

The games' story begins on the planet known as Pandora with the discovery of a mysterious vault created by an ancient alien race. This place promises incredible power and wealth, which is why huge corporations do their utmost to take control of it. But all sorts of mercenaries, soldiers of fortune and shady characters - so-called Vault hunters - also set out to achieve this goal.

The world of "Borderlands" is a dystopian mix of Wild West aesthetics and futuristic technology. At the same time, it looks like something straight out of a comic book. The violence and black humor are just as exaggerated: Pandora is filled with dangerous creatures, strange bandits and giant monsters - in fact a great setting for an entertaining action film.

Cast

The "Borderlands" movie can make use of an enormous amount of stories and characters from the original games. Since all the important roles and actors are already known, we can take a closer look at what we can expect: Who are the heroes? And who are the villains? Here are the details!

The Vault Hunters

Lilith

The main character of the "Borderlands" movie is Lilith, who was already a playable character in the first game. She is a Siren - a human who has developed special abilities after coming into contact with alien technology. She can make herself invisible and cause explosions, for example. She is played by the renowned actress Cate Blanchett, who most people will probably remember as Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings" movies.

Roland

As in the original game, Roland fights alongside her. As an ex-member of the unscrupulous mercenary company Crimson Lance, he is a born soldier and a specialist in all kinds of weapons. His character is played by comedian and actor Kevin Hart.

Dr. Patricia Tannis

Likewise part of the team is Dr. Patricia Tannis, an unusual scientist. She is an expert in technology and has a keen mind - but it is accompanied by her social awkwardness and strange behavior. Often plagued by madness and obsessions, Tannis contributes to her isolated lifestyle. She is played by Hollywood star and "Halloween" legend Jamie Lee Curtis.

Tiny Tina

One character that most fans are probably looking forward to is the role of Tiny Tina. Tina is a charismatic and headstrong character in the Borderlands franchise. She is a young explosives expert with an unconventional sense of humor. After a traumatic experience, she mainly uses this sense of humor as a coping mechanism. Tina is known for her bubbly, sometimes manic nature and her penchant for explosive experiments. She is played by Ariana Greenblatt, who we have already been able to see as young Gamora in "Avengers: Infinity War". She also made her last TV appearance as a younger version of a well-known character in the Star Wars series "Ahsoka".

Krieg

Wherever Tiny Tina is, her great defender Krieg is not far away. Krieg is a kind of mentor to Tiny Tina and tries to protect her from the worst aspects of Pandora. Krieg's backstory is one of inner conflict and a continuous battle for his sanity. His constant urge to fight and destroy makes him a complex character. In the video games, he is a so-called Berserker. He is characterized above all by his resilience and enormous strength. In the movie, Krieg is played by German actor Florian Munteanu, who most of you may know as Viktor Drago from "Creed II" and "Creed III".

Claptrap

One character in particular is an integral part of "Borderlands": the lively robot Claptrap. In the games, he guides us through the main missions and is busy making our lives miserable and saving his own butt for most of the time. We are very excited to find out how he will be integrated into the story of the movie. He is dubbed by none other than the legendary comedian, actor and musician Jack Black. An excellent choice, even though fans of the games will certainly have to get used to the new voice.

The Antagonists

Of course, our heroes will also face the one or other opponent from the video game series. One of the characters who made it into the "Borderlands" film adaptation is Krom, who is known for his ruthless nature and his enormous arsenal of weapons. Dutch bodybuilder Olivier Richters takes on the role of this bandit leader.

Also in the movie is General Knoxx, a member of the mercenary troops Crimson Lance. However, the character is given a new look for the film: here, the character is not yet a general and is also a woman, played by Janina Gavankar. The new interpretation of the character has already caused some discontent among fans.

Further Characters

Atlas and his daughter

Atlas will play a key role in the "Borderlands" movie. Atlas is actually known to players as a corporation supplying a wide range of weapons. But according to official information, Atlas is an important character in the movie. We can only guess whether this will actually be the Atlas CEO Rhys Strongfork known from the games. He will be played by the Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez.

Similarly, Atlas' daughter is said to be an essential part of the plot, although her actual casting is not known yet. The only name in the cast without an assigned role so far is Haley Bennett, which is why we assume that she will play this part. Bennett is known from the psychological thriller "Swallow", for example.

Mad Moxxi, Sir Hammerlock and many more

The "Borderlands" series is known for its many crazy side characters, who are also set to make an appearance in the movie. We will see, for instance, the battle arena operator Mad Moxxi, portrayed by Gina Gershon. Cheyenne Jackson plays weapons manufacturer Jakobs, while Charles Babalola takes on the role of naturalist and big game hunter Sir Hammerlock. Benjamin Byron Davis also appears as arms dealer Marcus Kincaid.

We are particularly looking forward to the mechanic duo Scooter and Ellie, who provide us with all kinds of crazy companions in the video games. In the movie, Scooter is played by Steven Boyer while Ellie is played by Ryann Kirby Redmond.

The Story: In Search of Atlas' Daughter

With such an extensive storyline of the games, one question naturally arises: What is the plot of the "Borderlands" movie? We already know that it is a standalone story within the "Borderlands" universe. It is not supposed to be part of the game canon, even if we do get to see all kinds of characters and locations from the games.

Lilith will play the leading role. She is commissioned by Atlas to find his daughter on Pandora. So she reluctantly returns to her home planet and assembles a group of former Vault hunters and other allies to join the search. Atlas' daughter is also said to possess a key to unimaginable power. It remains to be seen whether this is a reference to the vault mentioned in the video games.

The story seems to be very similar to that of the games, which of course is sure to make the fans excited. Apart from that, no details are known about the group's upcoming adventure and how the many characters will be integrated into the story.

Production Chaos with the Borderlands Movie

The development of the "Borderlands" movie has been a wild few years. In May 2015, "Saw" and "Insidious" author Leigh Whannell was approached to pen and direct a film adaptation of the video game series for Lionsgate Films. The official announcement was then made in August 2015, with well-known Marvel veterans Ari and Avi Arad as producers. In April 2016, the rather unknown Aaron Berg was suddenly asked to write the screenplay, before "22 Jump Street" author Oren Uziel assumed this task in June 2018. In February 2020, horror veteran Eli Roth was then confirmed as director. Now the script was to be written by Craig Mazin, renowned creator of "Chernobyl" and "The Last of Us".

Filming took place in Budapest in the early summer of 2021. In January 2023, it was revealed that the film would undergo two weeks of additional shooting under the direction of "Deadpool" director Tim Miller. And as if four writers for "Borderlands" weren't enough, Craig Mazin was officially replaced by Joe Crombie in June 2023 - two years after the main shooting was completed. Mazin had a falling out with the production and had his name removed from the credits. Nobody really knows who is behind the new role - according to Mazin, it is at least not synonymous with his own name. As you can see, it seems as though the production took place under extremely messy circumstances.

There is no trailer for the "Borderlands" movie yet, but the theatrical release is already slated for August 9, 2024. We can therefore easily imagine that at least a teaser trailer won't be too long in coming.