Highlights

  • The Borderlands movie adaptation faces backlash over seemingly random casting choices that don't match characters' ages from the games.
  • Major stars like Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis playing roles of younger characters raises concern of limiting potential for a film franchise.
  • The burgeoning Borderlands movie franchise should've imitated the MCU in casting younger actors who could age up at the same pace as their roles.

It's been a long road for the Borderlands movie adaptation. Headed by director Eli Roth, the film began shooting back in 2021, but the project as a whole has been in development since 2015. Borderlands is one of the most recognizable gaming franchises of the past 20 years, so there were high expectations from fans as soon as plans for a film adaptation were announced. Now, with the recent release of the movie's first trailer, one glaring departure from the games feels completely unnecessary.

Fan feedback regarding the trailer has been mixed, to say the least, as many longtime players are worried about the Borderlands movie not doing characters justice. Live-action adaptations of video games are tricky, but one of the biggest issues many have with the movie is the seemingly random casting that isn't in line with a lot of the character's ages in the games.

A helmet from Fallout 76 promo art with a Psycho from Borderlands
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The Borderlands Movie's Confusing Casting

Ever since the official cast for the Borderlands movie was announced, many fans have been left a little underwhelmed and confused. For starters, the one glaring difference the movie has from the games is the age of the characters. Some of the most notable characters from the series are being played by actors who are decently older than what was expected, and it feels like a random choice.

Borderlands' Major Star Power Feels Out Of Place

Two of the most shocking casting decisions are found with the actors portraying Lilith and Tannis. Cate Blanchett will be taking on the role of Lilith while Jamie Lee Curtis will be portraying Dr. Patricia Tannis. Both actors are incredible performers that have been part of some of the most iconic titles in modern movie history, but this specific casting feels misplaced, as Lilith is in her mid 20s to early 30s throughout the games. The age of Tannis is unknown, but she would likely be somewhere in her 30s. Although there's an argument to make for the Borderlands movie steering away from the source material in order to set itself apart, the age difference in this casting makes no sense for a potential film franchise.

Another bit of divisive casting places Kevin Hart in the role of Roland. Hart's age difference may not be as large as Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis' casting, but at the age of 44, he's still older than Roland's age, which is estimated to be his early or late 30s. The casting of the movie clearly has star power, but there are plenty of younger actors who would be great fits.

Older Actors Limit A Potential Franchise

Casting older actors in main roles doesn't bode well for any plans for a long-running franchise. The movie leaving out some major characters is already a hint that there are hopes for a sequel, so it would make a lot more sense to cast younger actors for the sake of longevity. With recent speculation about Borderlands 4 hopefully becoming reality, it would be great timing for Lionsgate to capitalize on a resurgence of the games by building a film franchise around it, but casting older actors limits how far a franchise can go.

The MCU casts young for this very reason. It's much easier to build a long-running franchise when the cast can grow along with the story. If Lionsgate and Roth specifically wanted star power, Lilith could have been played by Saoirse Ronan or Elle Fanning, while Tannis could have been portrayed by the likes of Emma Watson or Alexandra Daddario. As for Roland, Trevante Rhodes could have been a great choice. Of course, there could be some reason for the age difference that might be explained in the film's story, but until then, the Borderlands movie remains a confusing casting decision.