Borderlands Director Addresses Ageism in the Industry with Significant Casting Change

Despite criticism from fans, director Eli Roth remains determined to defy ageism in the film industry by implementing one major change to the upcoming Borderlands movie.

If you are familiar with the Borderlands video games, you would recognize that our beloved group of vault hunters, particularly 22-year-old Lilith, are typically in their late 20s to early 40s. However, the film does not feature the older characters such as Mordecai and Handsome Jack.

At the news of 55-year-old Cate Blanchett being cast as the lead in an action movie, many fans expressed their surprise and dissatisfaction, citing a Reddit post about ageism in the film industry. They questioned the decision to intentionally increase the age of the cast.

Some critics have also expressed dissatisfaction with the casting, as seen in GameRant’s article dubbing the casting choice as “a significant deviation…the growing Borderlands film series should have followed the example of the MCU by selecting younger actors who could age alongside their characters.”

The new film deviates from the traditional video game storyline by incorporating characters from all four games and introducing new mini-games, creating a completely original plot centered around vault-hunting.

Despite causing the most backlash, director Eli Roth claims that the change was not intentional and merely a result of the production process. However, the reaction the change has received does bring attention to the ageist nature of the industry.

‘BORDERLANDS’ director Eli Roth blasts “ageist” industry with major casting change pic.twitter.com/PzhKuv5Ieo

— ScreenTime (@screentime) August 7, 2024

While Tiny Tina must meet a certain age requirement, for all other characters, we were fortunate enough to secure the best actor in the world: Cate Blanchett. Once we had her on board, I reached out to Jack Black to portray Claptrap and Jamie Lee Curtis to portray Tannis.

Roth also expressed his desire for Gina Gershon to portray Moxxi, praising her brilliant performance. In contrast to Blanchett’s Lillith, Gershon is a more fitting age for the character of Moxxi.

Although her exact age is not revealed, Moxxi is believed to be approximately 52 years old when encountered by players in Borderlands, making her only 10 years younger than Gershon.

“Roth acknowledged the presence of ageism in Hollywood and empathized with those who bring attention to it. However, he also acknowledged the industry’s norms and the need for certain elements to feel authentic in both games and movies.”

“To me, the most crucial aspect is always securing the top actors worldwide and witnessing their portrayal on screen as they take on roles they have never done before. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the cast I did – each of them fully committed and breathed new life into the film, setting it apart from the games.”

In an interview with Empire, Blanchett had previously discussed her part in the film, stating, “I was getting carried away with the chainsaw while gardening. My husband jokingly said, ‘This movie might just save your life.’”

Currently in theaters, Borderlands offers the opportunity to discover information on Borderlands 3 shift codes and the latest updates on Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Additionally, stay updated on the progress of Borderlands 4 and new streaming movies.