Summary

The
Borderlands
film plans to tell an original story with familiar characters but introduces new faces to the franchise.
Fans are concerned about character inaccuracies in the film, particularly with the age and portrayal of iconic game personas.
Some beloved
Borderlands
characters from the games, such as Mordicai and Brick, are noticeably absent in the film adaptation, which may disappoint fans.

In October 2009, the world was introduced to the first-person action role-playing shooter, Borderlands. The first game alone was received positively and sold over two million units by the end of 2009. The game’s success was followed by sequels, DLCs, and a Telltale Games outing based on the franchise. Suffice it to say, Borderlands is still a popular series today, with Borderlands 3 being the best-selling game in the franchise as of 2019. Now, in 2024, Borderlands is being adapted into a film.

Borderlands is one of the few video-game-to-movie adaptations with a firm release date this year, along with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in December. This would normally be exciting but cautious news to die-hard fans who love the respective franchises. As of late, adapting video games to movies and television is more of a success than years prior, with the video game curse perhaps finally being lifted. But with the recent Borderlands trailer, fans of the game were quick to point out significant changes that deviate from the source material—namely, the casting choices for iconic characters and the inaccuracy in character designs.

What Is Borderlands, and Which Game Is the Film Adapting?
Borderlands Release Date August 9, 2024 Director Eli Roth Studio Lionsgate Characters By The Video Game Borderlands created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K

The Borderlands film, based on the video game franchise of the same name, plans to tell an original story in the upcoming movie. Here is the official film synopsis from Lionsgate Films:

Lilith, an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas. Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland, a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina, a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg, Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis, the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap, a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.

According to Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford, the Borderlands film is not adapting a specific Borderlands game. While it has familiar characters, the storyline is independent, and more new characters will be introduced. This is only the first part of the big plans for the Borderlands Cinematic Universe. Of course, this has made many fans worry, as further deviation from the source material could be catastrophic, though it has worked well in some cases.

Related The Last of Us Boss Sets Record Straight on His Role on Borderlands Movie Craig Mazin, The Last of Us showrunner, denies writing credit for Lionsgate’s upcoming Borderlands movie.

Character Inaccuracy and Casting Choices

The most significant change regarding the film from the games is the characters. Specifically, the casting of said characters and how they are portrayed. We’ve only seen the characters through the first trailer, but some fans are not pleased with what they see. Firstly, Lilith (Cate Blanchett) and Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis) are older in the film than they are in the game. Lilith, in the first game, is around 27, and we can assume that Tannis is around that same age group. Blanchett and Curtis are clearly older than their late 20s. There could be a plot reason behind this change in ages, but fans are skeptical. Also, Curtis’s take on Tannis doesn’t have the bubbly yet unhinged insanity that Tannis has in the Borderlands games. In addition, it’s hard to tell if Curtis will also portray Tannis’s attraction to women.

Casting Kevin Hart as Roland is a rather….unique choice. In the games, Roland is a weapons expert who was a soldier of the Crimson Lance, The Atlas Corporation’s highly trained private military. And he is built like a truck. Despite having a healthy build, Hart isn’t accurate with the Borderlands game’s depiction of the character, not just in design but also in personality. Hart’s Roland kicking Claptrap down the hole is not something Roland would do in-game. Krieg, sure, but not Roland. Also, his relationship with Tiny Tina is like a father-daughter bond in the games. He is not stern with her and tries to understand her behavior, especially since Tina’s family went mad because of Hyperion. So far, Hart’s interpretation of Roland does not match the game, causing some concern.

Speaking of Tiny Tina, fans also worry about Ariana Greenblatt’s portrayal. In the Borderlands franchise, Tina is an unstable 13-year-old girl who is an expert in explosives. She (and Krieg) was first introduced in Borderlands 2, so her character being with the rest of the gang was not expected. Tina’s overall character is wildly exaggerated and fun, smiling as she blows someone up with a plush rabbit taped to a rocket.

In the trailer, Greenblatt doesn’t have the fun energy Tina brings. But that may not be the actor’s fault, and perhaps the full film will better portray her character. Another inaccuracy/change that fans were shocked and upset over was Jack Black being the voice for Claptrap. The small robot is one of the most iconic characters in the franchise and has a recognizable voice. Borderlands fans hoped that one of the original actors, Jim Foronda or David Eddings, would voice Claptrap in the movie.

Cutting Out Certain Borderlands Characters

As mentioned, the Borderlands film is not adapted from the first game, the second, or any other canon entry. As the Gearbox founder said, this film is an independent project that happens to be in the Borderlands universe. Still, it’s surprising that the trailer completely cut out some main characters from the first game, like Mordicai and Brick. Why would Lionsgate make this decision? With Brick, it could be that he is similar to that of Tiny Tina, where he is a maniacal character with a love of explosions. Still, he was a foil character for Roland in the first game, so why not include that in the film?

Related Borderlands Movie Had Kevin Hart Training with Navy SEALS Comedian Kevin Hart is taking his role in the big screen Borderlands adaptation very seriously.

Mordicai’s absence might be because he would appear sometime later. This Borderlands film is supposed to be the first part of a cinematic universe if the project is successful. Maybe he will appear in a potential sequel since he and his deadly bird, Bloodwing, play a massive part in showing that Handsome Jack (the Borderlands 2 antagonist) is not a good person. Speaking of Handsome Jack, it would be shocking if there wasn’t at least some mention of the character toward the end of the film, setting up the next cinematic outing in the franchise. Even if the Borderlandsadaptation isn’t accurate to that of the games, hopefully, fans will still find it entertaining. Borderlands is set to release in theaters Aug. 9, 2024.