Lionsgate has announced that two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (Carol, Blue Jasmine, The Aviator) has closed a deal to star in director Eli Roth’s adaptation of Borderlands!
The project reunites Blanchett with Roth after starring in the director’s hit film The House with a Clock in Its Walls, which opened #1 at the box office.
RELATED: Cate Blanchett in Talks to Portray Lilith in Borderlands!
Blanchett will lead the cast as Lilith, a siren and legendary thief equipped with magical skills.
Roth said, “I’m so lucky to have the amazing Cate Blanchett starring in Borderlands. We had the most incredible collaboration together on The House with a Clock in Its Walls, and I believe there’s nothing she can’t do. From drama to comedy and now action, Cate makes every scene sing. Working with her is truly a director’s dream come true, and I feel so fortunate that I get to do it again on an even bigger scale. Everyone brings their A-game to work with Cate, and I know together we’re going to create another iconic character in her already storied career.”
Based on the bestselling PC and console gaming experience from developer Gearbox Software and publisher 2K, a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., Borderlands will be produced by Avi Arad and Ari Arad, who produce through their Arad Productions banner, and Erik Feig, through PICTURESTART, who have shepherded the project and overseen development, including the latest draft of the screenplay by the two-time Emmy-winning screenwriter Craig Mazin. The film’s executive producers are Randy Pitchford, executive producer of the Borderlands video game franchise and founder of the Gearbox Entertainment Company, and Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive.
Borderlands is one of the world’s most successful video game franchises, with more than 57 million units sold-in worldwide, including over 22 million units of Borderlands 2, which is the highest-selling title in the history of 2K. The most recent installment, Borderlands 3, which launched in September 2019, already sold-in nearly 8 million units worldwide and was honored with the award for “Best Multiplayer Game” at Gamescom.
RELATED: Janelle Monáe Has Been Chosen in New Antebellum Trailer
Blanchett is represented by CAA. Robert Melnik negotiated the deal on behalf of Lionsgate. James Myers and Aaron Edmonds are overseeing the project on behalf of Lionsgate. Emmy Yu is overseeing the film for Arad Productions. Lucy Kitada will oversee the project for PICTURESTART.
Blanchett currently stars in Mrs. America, which she also executive produces. In addition to Borderlands, Blanchett will star in James Gray’s upcoming Armageddon Times, and Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. She has starred in hit films including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Thor: Ragnarok, among others. She won Academy Awards for her performances in The Aviator and Blue Jasmine.
(Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
