When news first broke about a ‘Borderlands’ movie, I was excited. Polish up the character models and get some great animators in there, and you’d have a fun CGI flick. Then I read it was live-action. Then I read Eli Roth was directing it. Then I read the screenwriter was the guy behind ‘Identity Thief,’ ‘The Hangover Part II,’ and ‘Superhero Movie.’
OK, Craig Mazin did pen the HBO’s ‘Chernobyl’ series. Though, the draw of that series was more about the atmosphere and the reality of the disaster than the dialog. Sometimes you win some.
Regardless of how pensive we are over the people steering the ship, the adaptation of the Gearbox Software game series is happening. There is good news to be had, too.
Penn Jillette, the magician who hates BS, is joining the movie’s cast. According to an interview covered by SlashFilm, Jillette has a minor appearance in the film. The long and short of his scene is not going to be a secret, “Jillette will be playing a preacher overseeing a wedding, and there’s a fight scene that interrupts the nuptials. After the action is done, he ends up in a ‘space paddywagon’ with Kevin Hart’s character Roland.”
If you were hoping for more of Jillette in ‘Borderlands,’ you can check out the third game. Penn and Teller had brief cameos in ‘Borderlands 3’ via a boss battle. Both magicians got physical cameos, while Penn also got to voice his character. Spoilers ahead if you haven’t played the sequel from Gearbox Software:
The casting for this adaptation has been a bit interesting. Jamie Lee Curtis is playing Dr. Tannis. Cate Blanchett will be Lilith. Jack Black will be voicing Clap Trap. Why? Dunno. Why not use the original voice actor Jim Foronda?
Knowing Roth, this film may not be entirely recognizable to fans of the series. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. ‘Borderlands’ characters and stories work best in a medium that isn’t constrained by the physical world. What the ‘Hostel’ director does with the IP could be something unique but totally distant from what we’re used to.
What are your opinions on the upcoming ‘Borderlands’ big-screen adaptation? Do you think the casting choices will work, knowing the characters from the games? Or will this end up like ‘The Green Inferno’ and lead to unintentional laughs?
[Source: SlashFilm]
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