Borderlands is next in line to become a doomed video game movie. With successful and actually good movies based on video games countable on one hand, Randy Pitchford tweeted — and then quickly deleted — a welcoming message to Eli Roth as the director of the previously announced Borderlands movie. Fortunately, fans managed to snag a screenshot of it before the deletion.
Borderlands movie doomed to fail?
While the announcement was premature and therefore deleted, fans of the Borderlands franchise are already holding their hearts. Not only are video game movies at risk of being god-awful, but it will also be directed by Eli Roth, a man known for what are considered low-quality, overly gory movies. You might know him from films such as Hostel and Cabin Fever.
And the question remains of if the Borderlands movie will retain the cartoony style of the games. Take that away, and you end up with a standard-looking generic wasteland kind of deal. And even though Mad Max: Fury Road has proven that can work, is it what fans would want from a Borderlands movie? Additionally, the plot, as reported by Full Circle Cinema, will only be vaguely related to the game’s premise.
A movie set in the Borderlands universe is at risk of becoming cringy. You either try to appeal to the masses, or you make it for the fans first. But fans of the franchise will want a movie actually based on the game’s story, so which do you prioritize? They seem to be writing themselves into a corner before this movie is even being made. Somehow, the gaming industry always manages to make the wrong decisions in these kinds of things.
The official reveal is likely coming at PAX East on February 27, where Gearbox will be holding a show “with some big announcements, including the reveal of Borderlands 3’s second campaign DLC.” The broadcast will begin at 11:30 a.m. PT / 2:30 p.m ET / 21:30 CEST over on Twitch.
