Funnyman Kevin Hart will be getting his action-adventure on when he stars in the upcoming film Borderlands. Hart will star alongside Cate Blanchett in Eli Roth’s feature film adaptation of the bestselling video game series.
According to Deadline, the upcoming film will be released through Lionsgate and Hart will play Roland, a skilled soldier-turned-mercenary. The film will be set in the distant future when four “Vault Hunters” travel to the distant planet Pandora to hunt down an alien vault rumored to contain advanced alien technology. Blanchett will portray Lilith, one of the main protagonists in the open-world role-playing game series.
In the video game, Roland was honorably discharged from the military unit, Crimson Lance. He then goes rogue before turning to a life of loot-hunting with the help of shotguns, turrets, and assault rifles.
The movie will be directed by Eli Roth, who spoke of Hart in a statement from Lionsgate, saying, “I’m thrilled to be working with Kevin. Borderlands is a different kind of role for him, and we are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they’ve never seen before. He’s going to be an amazing Roland.”
Hart had been in negotiations several months before today’s announcement. Nathan Kahane, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, added, “Kevin has been behind some of the world’s biggest blockbusters, and our source material is inspired by one of the world’s best-selling video games. We love the way our filmmaking team has adapted this story and we couldn’t be in better creative hands.”
The Borderlands video game series launched in 2009 and has sold more than 66 million units. Earlier this month, Hart signed a deal with Netflix and his HartBeat Productions for the streaming giant to exclusively release his next four self-produced films. Netflix also has a first-look offer in the deal with the actor, which gives them the option to secure future projects from Hart.
