Haley Bennett has been officially cast in the upcoming Borderlands movie. Based on the popular video game franchise from Gearbox Entertainment, the film will focus on a group of fortune hunters on the outskirts of a grim and brutal galaxy. Eli Roth is set to direct the project, with a cast that includes Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, and Jack Black as Claptrap.
The original Borderlands game takes place on the backwater world of Pandora – a Mad Max-esque wasteland full of bandits, monsters, and evil corporations. The player controls one of four “vault hunters” searching for a legendary treasure trove while taking various mercenary jobs along the way. Other games in the franchise expand the Borderlands universe, showing other planets and diving deeper into the various megacorps that run them.
The Borderlands film cast has been announced in stages recently, and a new name has just officially joined the film – Haley Bennett. Bennett has previously appeared in films like Music and Lyrics, The Girl on the Train, The Devil All the Time, and Hillbilly Elegy. She will play a brand-new character who, according to the release from Lionsgate, will be a “key to the past of Cate Blanchett’s character, Lilith.” In the games, Lilith is a Siren – a rare individual with supernatural abilities – and her connection to Bennett’s new character could mean she is a Siren as well.
Few story details for Borderlands have been released so far, but the cast so far points to it being a comedy-forward sci-fi action film, which would keep it in the games' style. The Borderlands franchise has had something of a rocky history in fan reception to its writing. Some entries are praised for sharp comedy, and others being criticized as overly crass and stupid. It remains to be seen which camp the film will fall into.
At the very least, the cast of the Borderlands film looks strong for its intended tone. Video game-based movies and series have seen something of a renaissance of late, with recent adaptations like Castlevania and Sonic the Hedgehog releasing to notable praise, and coming projects like the Tom Holland Uncharted film, HBO’s The Last of Us series, and Netflix’s Dota: Dragon’s Blood all being highly anticipated. If the movie is as strong as its ensemble, Borderlands could help continue that trend.
Source: Lionsgate