Borderlands movie continues to collect big-name actors. Jack Black has joined Jamie Lee Curtis and Cate Blanchett in the upcoming video game adaptation. Black will voice the role of Claptrap, an annoyingly sarcastic robot not invested in anyone’s survival. Black has previously worked with the Borderlands director, Eli Roth, and castmate, Cate Blanchett, on the film The House with a Clock in Its Walls.
Claptrap is one of the game’s funniest characters. It’s a general-purpose robot manufactured by Hyperion, the chief weapon manufacturer on Pandora. Claptrap was programmed with an overenthusiastic personality and brags frequently, but it also expresses severe loneliness and cowardice. A character Black should have no problem bringing to life.
Jack Black has been relatively busy before joining the Borderlands’ cast. He recently reprised his role as Shelly Oberon in Jumanji: The Next Level and will appear in the upcoming Apollo 10½: A Space Age Adventure for writer-director Richard Linklater.
The Borderlands video game series launched in 2009, with Gearbox Software and publisher 2K debuting the latest title, Borderlands 3, in September 2019. The Arad Productions company of Ari Arad and Avi Arad is producing the feature adaptation. Erik Feig is producing through Picturestart. The Borderlands’ script comes from Emmy-winning Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. Cate Blanchett is set to star as the legendary thief Lilith in the movie, while Kevin Hart will play skilled soldier Roland, and Curtis will fill the role of Tannis, an archeologist on Pandora.
The Borderlands’ executive producers are Randy Pitchford, who is also the executive producer of the Borderlands video game franchise and founder of the Gearbox Entertainment Company. Joining him in the same role is Strauss Zelnick, chairman, and CEO of Take-Two Interactive. Robert Melnik negotiated the deal on behalf of Lionsgate.
