Eli Roth To Direct What Is Sure To Be A Very Restrained BORDERLANDS Movie

All the way back in 2015, we brought you the news that Lionsgate was moving forward with a movie based on the popular Borderlands series of video games. This was just after the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, and - given the pronounced influence that George Miller property had on Gearbox's biggest franchise - it wasn't a surprise. A post-apocalyptic environment (OK, technically another planet, but come on: we know a post-apocalyptic environment when we see one)? Heavy weaponry? Massive explosions? Gangs of roving scavengers and bloodshed going on in every direction? One could easily see what attracted Lionsgate to Borderlands, especially at that time.

But then, a curious thing happened: no further updates arrived. Years went by, enough that we'd actually completely forgotten Lionsgate ever had a Borderlands movie in development...until today, and Variety's announcement that none other than Eli Roth will direct the Borderlands movie. What's more, Chernobyl's Craig Mazin has written the script he'll be working from, and that shooting will begin before the end of this year.

Look, my feelings on this are complicated. On the one hand, the Borderlands games are pretty obnoxious, childish in a way that often feels a bit too try-hard for its own good, and my brief experience with the franchise's most recent installment (Borderlands 3) leads me to believe that I've simply outgrown that sort of thing. On the other hand, if you're gonna make an over-the-top, presumably ultra-violent Borderlands movie, I cannot imagine a more appropriate director than Eli Roth (OK, maybe Michael Bay, but he'd still come in second). Roth's known for going big, messy, mean-spirited and bro-y, and this property's got all of that in spades. Furthermore, Roth's most recent film, A House With a Clock in Its Walls, showed some progress on his part as a filmmaker.

So, gotta admit: I'm curious to see what he comes up with here, especially working from a Mazin script. Nothing further to report at this time, but rest assured we'll be keeping close tabs on this one, and will have further updates in front of you just as soon as they roll in. Stay tuned for those, and do hit the comments below if you've got anything to add here.