While it was simply rumored in Variety back on May 5, it has now been confirmed by Eli Roth, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, that Cate Blanchett will be taking on the role of Lilith in his upcoming film adaptation of Borderlands. Roth seemed genuinely excited about the news.
I’m so lucky to have the amazing Cate Blanchett starring in Borderlands. We had the most incredible collaboration together on The House with a Clock in Its Walls, and I believe there’s nothing she can’t do. From drama to comedy and now action, Cate makes every scene sing. Working with her is truly a director’s dream come true, and I feel so fortunate that I get to do it again on an even bigger scale. Everyone brings their A-game to work with Cate, and I know together we’re going to create another iconic character in her already storied career.
Right now, the project is still in the pre-production stage, albeit at the tail end of that process. Filming was initially expected to start later this year, but the COVID-19 pandemic has likely thrown that original schedule off somewhat.
Further complicating matters is the fact Blanchett was already in the middle of shooting Nightmare Alley with Bradley Cooper and Rooney Mara. The Guillermo Del Toro project was put on hold because of the pandemic and there has not been an announcement regarding when shooting will resume. Presumably, all the parties involved will have hashed out schedules to ensure everybody is available and ready to work when needed.
There has been no indication of how closely the screenplay will follow the events of the Borderlands video game. The most recent draft of the screenplay has reportedly been handled by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), who has also been working on a TV series adaptation of another video game, The Last Of Us.
