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Eli Roth shared stories from making the video game movie at CinemaCon, including the surprising drama that became an inspiration.
By Aaron Couch
Film Editor
Over the past few years, one Hollywood mystery has been how the video game adaptation Borderlands managed to attract such a stacked A-list cast led by Cate Blanchett, given its raunchy, violent nature. At CinemaCon on Wednesday, director Eli Roth said the key to landing Blanchett, whom he said he decided to call on a whim, was not thinking she’d take the role.
“People love seeing you with a conductor stick, and I’m going to throw a flame thrower in her hand,” he recalled telling Blanchett, referencing her acclaimed work in Tár. To his surprise, Blanchett said the apocalyptic feature Escape From New York was among her favorite movies, and she was glad to join the project. From there, the rest fell into place.
Blanchett stars as Lilith, the leader of a crew of outlaws on a mission to retrieve treasure from a vault hidden on the planet. Kevin Hart stars as Roland, with Jamie Lee Curtis playing Tannis and Jack Black voicing the robot Claptrap. Florian Munteanu, Haley Bennett and Édgar Ramírez also star. The first Borderlands trailer, released in February, revealed some Guardians of the Galaxy vibes for the movie.
Las Vegas met Pandora on Wednesday when Lionsgate brought new footage from the movie to CinemaCon. Roth and star Ariana Greenblatt were on hand to show off the project, which takes place on Pandora, described as the most dangerous planet in the universe.
During the presentation, Greenblatt, who is 16, said to laughs that filming with her co-stars allowed her to have new “uncles, aunts, grandmas.” Film boss Adam Fogelson quipped that he’s roughly the same age as the main stars.
Roth said to mess with Greenblatt, he suggested the Barbie actress watch My Dinner With Andre to prepare, even though it’s not exactly in the same genre. However, the joke enhanced production, as they watched the 1981 drama multiple times while filming. “Somehow, watching those movies put us in the right headspace,” said Roth.
Development on Borderlands has been closely watched, not only because it adapts a popular video game with its own fan base but also because it underwent reshoots under the direction of Deadpool filmmaker Tim Miller, as Roth was already off shooting his horror film Thanksgiving. The film opens Aug. 9.
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