Eli Roth’s adaptation of Gearbox Software’s Borderlands has cast its Roland. Kevin Hart gets the part of the ex-Crimson Lance merc, joining Cate Blanchett (Lilith) as one of the sci-fi shooter’s four original heroes.
Lionsgate announced the casting on Tuesday, noting that Hart has starred in 10 films that have opened as box office No. 1s. His most recent role was in 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level, whose $59 million domestic opening was tops for its premiere week.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Kevin,” Roth (director, Hostel, and also a star in Inglourious Basterds) said in a statement. “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.”
A Borderlands feature film has been discussed since 2015. Roth was named director in February 2020, and Blanchett was brought aboard in May.
The first Borderlands launched in 2009; it’s since become one of Gearbox and publisher 2K Games’ most successful franchises, leading to three full sequels and an episodic spinoff from Telltale Games. Borderlands 3 launched in September 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One, and an updated version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launched with the new consoles in November.