Borderlands movie trailer: plot, characters, stacked cast, and fan service revealed for all-new prequel action-comedy coming on August 9 2024

After months of leaks and rumours followed by a handful of teasers, the first full trailer for Borderlands, the movie adaptation of the titular video game, has officially been released by Lionsgate Movies on YouTube (watch below text). Alongside the movie trailer, we also got a full breakdown of the main cast, which gives us an idea of what to expect from a story point of view.

The Borderlands film will follow characters from the game, namely Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Lilith (Cate Blanchett), Dr. Patricia Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), Roland (Kevin Hart), Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), and the incessant robot Claptrap (Black Jack). There is some serious comedy talent in that cast list, alongside a few more serious faces, so it'll be interesting to see how the chemistry plays out on the big screen in August.

Instead of directly adapting the story from one of the half dozen games in the Borderlands franchise, the movie seems to be starting an entirely new plot-line that takes place before Borderlands 2. The main giveaway for that timeline is Roland's presence in the movie. Since Roland died at the end of Borderlands 2, it's impossible for the movie to take place after Borderlands 2.

At least with this approach, those that have already enjoyed the games won't be bored to death by reliving the same story but will still get to see some of their favourite characters interacting in a way that reinforces their relationship in the games that take place after the movie's events.

According to a trailer breakdown by Gearbox Software CEO, Randy Pitchford, for IGN, the Borderlands film's story will centre around the central cast banding together to find and protect a missing young girl who sounds like she may be in possession of a key to one of the Borderlands universe's many Vaults. From the breakdown, it seems as though the crew's main villain will be the former CEO of the Atlas Corporation, who is introduced in the trailer.

Although some of the casting choices may seem peculiar, with some complaints online criticising Black Jack as Claptrap and Cate Blanchett as Lilith, the movie's premise seems interesting, and gaming movie adaptations have been getting less unwatchable over the years, so perhaps Borderlands fans have something to be excited about later this year. The Borderlands film is expected to launch on August 9, 2024.

Buy an Exquisite Gaming Borderlands 3 Claptrap Mobile Phone & Gaming Controller Holder, Device Stand on Amazon, or read about the lore of the upcoming movie in The Worlds of Borderlands, by Rick Barba, also on Amazon.