Diminutive comic Kevin Hart officially signs on to star as the soldier Roland in Eli Roth's adaptation of the popular video game Borderlands. Roland was a playable soldier class character in the original Borderlands, released in 2009. The game was a huge hit and spawned three more first-person shooter games and an interactive graphic spinoff called Tales from the Borderlands. Roland appeared as an NPC in Borderlands 2 as well as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. He is a large, serious character in the game, fond of using guns as his primary weapons.
Roth's (Cabin Fever, Hostel, The Green Inferno) adaptation will reportedly be R-rated, in line with the game's manic and foul-mouthed approach. Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) tackles the script, which will take inspiration from the game series, but is said to be a loose adaptation rather than a direct copy of the games' storylines. Roth cast his lead, Lilith, in May last year, with Australian actress Cate Blanchett stepping into the role of the thief. Other casting news has been thin on the ground, though Hart had been rumored to be on Roth's wish list for some time. Now, it's been confirmed.
THR reports that Hart has officially signed on to the movie, and he's set to play Roland. The confirmation comes after Hart had been in talks for the role for months. Roth confirmed the casting in a statement, saying the more serious character will be a "different" role for the comic. Borderlands' production company Lionsgate's president Nathan Kahane added that Kevin's track record on blockbusters was a big reason for them signing him on, ending by stating he "loves" the story adapted from the games. You can read Roth and Kahane's comments below:
Eli Roth: I’m thrilled to be working with Kevin. Borderlands is a different kind of role for him, and we are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they’ve never seen before. He’s going to be an amazing Roland.
Nathan Kahane: Kevin has been behind some of the world's biggest blockbusters, and our source material is inspired by one of the world's best-selling video games. We love the way our filmmaking team has adapted this story and we couldn't be in better creative hands.
This won't be Hart's first brush with video games on the big screen, with the actor having appeared as an in-game character in both Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level. Those movies were massive hits due to Hart's comedic antics and on-screen chemistry with frequent co-star Dwayne Johnson. Playing Roland will be an entirely new challenge for Hart, though, as the gruff, muscular soldier should be a departure from his usual manic roles.
However, there is also the chance the character's personality could be changed to fit Hart's strengths as an actor, something fans of the game will greet with caution. Regardless, the news is also a good sign after such a long gestation period for the project. With two major names in the form of Blanchett and Hart attached, things should get moving on Borderlands quickly, giving fans hope that the movie could get a release in 2023, or perhaps even late 2022.
Source: THR