Comedic actor Kevin Hart joins Oscar-winner Cate Blanchette (The Lord of the Rings, Thor: Ragnarok) for the cast of Eli Roth’s upcoming film Borderlands, based on the best-selling videogame set on the abandoned fictional planet of Pandora where people search for a mysterious relic. Borderlands is developed by Gearbox Software and publisher 2K.
Hart, who is known primarily for his comedic roles most recently Jumanji: The Next Level, will try and channel a more serious side of his acting abilities for this film as he plays Roland, a skilled ex-soldier turned mercenary. Blanchett, who I could see fitting in nicely as an Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow type character, will play Lilith.
Director Eli Roth had this to say in an statement:
“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.”
As we all know, videogame adaptations rarely work out and the most recent that has would have to be the Resident Evil franchise, although I did really enjoy the new Tomb Raider because, well, Alicia Vikander. Either way, it will be interesting to see how this goes as the cast continues to come together.
Fans of the franchise have already expressed mixed feelings about the casting of Hart in what should be a gritty post-apocalyptic action thriller, especially in the role of such a serious character like Roland. Hart did play a guy who enjoyed playing videogames in Ride Along, but I doubt that makes fans feel any better.
Fans have voiced concerns saying it is a “very strange” casting choice, and have concerns about what the rest of the cast might look like, but I mean Roth is a strange guy, I saw the Green Inferno in theaters, soooo who knows with him.
Stay tuned for any additional news.