The Big Picture
- Tim Miller’s involvement in the Borderlands film included directing reshoots, stepping in when original director Eli Roth had to step away due to a scheduling conflict.
- Miller expressed excitement about joining the project and working with the talented cast, including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ariana Greenblatt.
- Miller’s main motivation for joining the film was his affection for the video game industry and his desire to see successful adaptations, and he described the experience as a “freeing” one where he could contribute without carrying the entire creative burden. The movie is described as a “good ride” that moves quickly.
Tim Miller has spoken about his work on the eagerly anticipated Borderlands film for the first time at length, exclusively to Collider. Miller played a key role in filming reshoots earlier this year. Miller, who has previously directed Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate, joined the project in January of this year to help get the video game adaptation over the finish line.
Joining Collider’s Steve Weintraub and Perri Nemiroff on Collider Dailies, our new daily podcast news series, Miller opened up on his excitement at joining the project. Miller stepped onto the project as the director of reshoots when original director Eli Roth was forced to step away due to a scheduling conflict, owing to a commitment to begin production on his upcoming horror film Thanksgiving, which began shooting in March this year, leaving Roth no time to work on the Borderlands additional photography.
Based on the popular video game series of the same name, Borderlands will star a massive ensemble cast of Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, Édgar Ramirez, Ariana Greenblatt, and more. The movie revolves around Lilith, played by Blanchett, an infamous outlaw harboring an enigmatic past. She embarks on a journey back to her native planet, Pandora, to locate the absent daughter of the film’s antagonist, Atlas, portrayed by Ramirez. During her quest, Lilith forms an unlikely alliance with a diverse group of allies, including the elite mercenary Roland (Hart), the pre-teen demolitionist Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), the eccentric scientist Tannis (Curtis), and the wisecracking breakout character, the robot Claptrap (Black), all coming together to aid in the search for the missing girl.
Miller Calls Roth’s ‘Borderlands’ Adaptation “a Good Ride”
Miller admitted it was a “freeing” experience to come into a movie where it was his job to see it over the line, rather than carry the entire creative burden for the picture, as well as noting his affection for the acclaimed video game series was a huge selling point in joining the party.
“It was an interesting experience to come in and do reshoots on a movie that’s not yours. It’s a freeing experience where you feel like, I’m just here to help wherever I can. But my main reason, other than, you know, I have a huge affection for the video game industry, I want to see every video game adaption succeed is, I’ll be honest, I wanted to work with Cate Blanchett, and I wanted to work with Kevin [Hart] and Jamie Lee Curtis. And Ariana Greenblatt, the young lady who plays Tiny Tina, is amazing, which everybody knows from the Barbie movie. So it was a great experience all around. I was feeling a little rusty, so I was happy to get back in the saddle. The movie gets up and moves. It’s a good ride.”
Borderlands is set for release on August 9, 2024. Watch the full interview with Miller below.
