Borderlands Movie to Be Directed by Eli Roth

Eli Roth (Hostel, Death Wish) is officially set to direct an upcoming film adaptation of the popular Borderlands video game franchise.

“I’m so excited to dive into the world of Borderlands and I could not be doing it with a better script, producing team, and studio,” said Roth in a press release. “I have a long, successful history with Lionsgate – I feel like we have grown up together and that everything in my directing career has led to a project of this scale and ambition. I look forward to bringing my own energy, ideas, and vision to the wild, fun, and endlessly creative world of the game. Randy Pitchford and everyone at Gearbox have been incredibly supportive of my ideas – it really feels like a perfect storm of creators coming together.  We are out to make a new classic, one which the fans of the game will love, but also one which will find new audiences globally.”

Randy Pitchford, executive producer of Borderlands and founder of Borderlands developer Gearbox Software, said that he’s “incredibly proud” to “bring this beloved video game to theaters for our fans around the world.” Nathan Kahane, president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, believes they have “cracked the code on bringing the anarchic world of Borderlands to the big screen.”

Roth will be joined on this project by screenwriter Craig Mazin whose previous works include everything from creating the hit HBO series Chernobyl (yay!) to writing and directing Superhero Movie (not yay). What we’re saying here is that there are clearly a lot of big names and talent involved with this project in its earliest stages, but considering the somewhat inconsistent nature of said talent, this one could really go either way.

For those unfamiliar with the Borderlands series, it’s perhaps best to think of it as a kind of warped, sarcastic version of the Mad Max franchise. It tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world dominated by roaming gangs, legions, and other power-hungry coalitions. The series is infamous for its elaborate weapons, over-the-top violence, and wicked sense of humor. As we saw in spin-offs such as Telltale Games’ Tales From the Borderlands, though, there’s a surprising amount of heart that pumps the lifeblood of this series. There are deep and fascinating tales to tell in this universe for those storytellers that choose to tell them. 

Sadly, there are no story details available for the Borderlands film adaptation at this time, but we’ll be sure to update you as we learn more about its cast, plot, and release date. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.