Celebrated Australian actress Cate Blanchett has signed on to play Lilith in Eli Roth’s upcoming movie adaptation of the Borderlands video game.
Rumors were making rounds earlier this month that Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett was amid negotiations to be part of the movie rendition of Borderlands.
Lionsgate Studios officially confirmed the rumors with a recent Twitter announcement welcoming Blanchett to the film. The Australian actress is all set to play the role of vault hunter Lilith, also known as “The Siren.”
THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Welcome Cate Blanchett to the world of @Borderlands. https://t.co/RBJZqrvjm6
— lionsgate (@Lionsgate) May 28, 2020
Eli Roth’s statement
This isn’t the first time director Eli Roth will be collaborating with Blanchett, as they also worked together in the 2018 fantasy horror comedy The House with a Clock in Its Walls.
In a recent statement, Roth expressed excitement over the opportunity to work with the actress again and had nothing but praise for Blanchett’s ability to internalize any role.
The American director continued by saying he had full confidence that Cate’s upcoming role would be another iconic one.
“I’m so lucky to have the amazing Cate Blanchett starring in Borderlands,” Roth said in a statement. “Working with her is truly a director’s dream come true [. . .] Everyone brings their A-game to work with Cate, and I know together we’re going to create another iconic character in her already storied career.”
On September 21, discover a place where magic lives. Watch the new trailer for The House With a Clock In Its Walls. This house knows what makes you tick. #HouseWithAClock pic.twitter.com/ev5JYePCBC
— Eli Roth (@eliroth) June 28, 2018
Gearbox Software’s Borderlands
Borderlands is a loot-based first-person action role-playing game (RPG) developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. The looter shooter made its debut in October of 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
Upon release, Borderlands garnered solid reviews from fans and critics, owing to its beautiful cel-shaded graphics, intuitive item management system, and interesting loot.
The game wasn’t without its faults, however, as common criticisms included the mediocre story and uninspired enemy AI.
Borderlands is easily Gearbox Software’s biggest franchise, and the success of the first title spawned two sequels, a prequel, a couple of spin-offs, and a compilation release (which happens to be free on the Epic Games Store right now).
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is Epic's next free game https://t.co/02E7BM6S4G pic.twitter.com/aIIxLn6rs7
— GameSpot (@GameSpot) May 28, 2020
The struggles of video game-based movie adaptations
Video game-based movies have long since bore the stigma of failure, with the past decade being littered with films inspired by games that can only be described as forgettable at best.
The box office success of the recent Sonic The Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu movies, however, have provided video game fans with a glimmer of hope.
Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that Eli Roth and Cate Blanchett can do the Borderlands name justice, and continue the streak of successful video game movie adaptations.
Image courtesy of Borderlands