In a major move towards legitimizing film adaptations of video games, Cate Blanchett has closed negotiations to join the cast of the Borderlands movie. There were rumors of the potential casting at the beginning of the month, but sources at Variety have confined official negotiations have ended and Blanchett will join the film. The rest of the cast has yet to be determined but the crew is already raving about the casting.
Director Eli Roth, known for Inglorious Bastards and Hostel, has nothing but praise for Blanchett. The two had worked together on The House with Clocks on Its Walls and said "...I believe there's nothing she can't do". Roth went on to say that Blanchett was a "director's dream," and that she can "make any scene sing!" Roth's isn't the only member enthusiastic about the major casting decision.
IMDB has already started a page for the film and has Blanchett as Lilith listed among the cast and crew. Blanchett is the only one attached to the cast list, but it's clear that the rest of the list will soon be filled with A-listers. However, the heavy hitters on the production side are already attached to the film in one way or another.
The film will be produced under the incredible Arad Productions. Avi and Ari Arad are most notably known for producing films like Iron Man. Their production will be alongside Erik Feig's Picturestart banner. The movie has already gone through a draft with Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin.
Blanchett is best known for her work as Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings series and can currently be seen in her first cable TV series Mrs. America. The Australian-born movie star would be an excellent choice for the siren-thief character Lilith who first appeared as a playable character in the original Borderlands game. Lilith is one of the six remaining sirens hailing from the planet Dionysus.
With video game films finally gaining popularity, it will be exciting to see whether this film becomes a larger movie franchise. With several games providing source material, Blanchett could be looking at a multi-movie deal. The only issue is whether the on-going COVID-19 pandemic will throw off production schedules and delay the progress of this movie even further. Several studios are implementing new safety measures, but very few productions have a time frame for when they'll be up and running again.
The Borderlands movie is in pre-production.