Borderlands film director explains why he had to cut beloved characters from film

If you’re a devoted fan of the Borderlands games, you may have noticed that some familiar characters are absent… and director Eli Roth apologizes for that.

In 2009, a highly anticipated game called Borderlands was unveiled. Players could take on the roles of four unique vault hunters – Lilith, Mordecai, Handsome Jack, and Roland – on a quest through Pandora in search of valuable treasures.

Nevertheless, after 15 years, the situation has changed. The live-action adaptation has strayed from the original game plot and has instead combined different elements from the franchise to create a completely new narrative.

Although there have been some casualties along the way, the new movie has omitted both Mordecai and Handsome Jack, as well as other iconic characters such as Maya, Zer0, and Commandant Steele.

The speaker elaborated that there were characters originally planned for the game that had to be removed for this version. The storyline was too extensive and difficult to simplify. The speaker’s goal was to include as much as possible in the movie, but there comes a point when it becomes too cumbersome.

‘BORDERLANDS’ director Eli Roth explains why he had to cut beloved characters from film pic.twitter.com/ckqtqwwjqZ

— ScreenTime (@screentime) August 7, 2024

Instead, Borderlands centers on Lillith (Cate Blanchett), who sets out on a solo mission to her home planet Pandora. Her goal is to rescue Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), who has been taken hostage by Roland (Kevin Hart).

Working together, they join forces to locate the missing vault, with assistance from the hyperactive robot Claptrap (voiced by Jack Black) and the spacey expert Tannis (played by Jamie-Lee Curtis).

Although Mordecai and Handsome Jack are not present this time, it does not rule out the possibility of seeing them in person in the future.

If Borderlands 2 does end up coming to fruition – which is uncertain at this point – Roth is eager to bring back beloved characters.

“Ultimately, the decision to make another movie lies with the fans. If there is enough support for the film, we would be fortunate enough to continue the story. However, for now, our main focus is on this current project,”he stated.

On August 9, Borderlands will be released in cinemas. Learn about the latest Borderlands 3 shift codes and all the current information on Borderlands 4, as well as the most recent updates on Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and newly released movies available for streaming this month.