GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

"In-Your-Face" Borderlands Movie in the Works at Hunger Games Studio

Lionsgate announces a film version of Gearbox's shoot-and-loot series.

29 Comments

A feature film based on Gearbox's Borderlands series is in development at Hunger Games film studio Lionsgate, the entertainment company announced on Friday.

In a joint statement, Lionsgate co-chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said they went after Borderlands as part of a wider effort to create more films from established franchises. With more than 25 million copies sold, the Borderlands series is indeed a force with a legion of fans.

No Caption Provided

It's too early for specific acting and directing talent or plot details for the untitled Borderlands movie, but the film executives said it will stay true to the essence of the game series.

"The Borderlands games don't pull any punches, and we'll make the movie with the same in-your-face attitude that has made the series a blockbuster mega-franchise," Friedman and Wachsberger said.

Borderlands the movie will be produced by Avi Arad and his son, Ari Arad. They are perhaps best known for helping to bring the Iron Man, Spider-Man, and X-Men franchises to the big-screen.

The Borderlands series is published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive. CEO of that company, Strauss Zelnick, praised Lionsgate for being a "major creative force" and called the Arads "two of the most successful producers of action franchises."

"This alliance is ideally positioned to create a bold, provocative, no-holds-barred motion picture phenomenon that will delight Borderlands' current legions of fans and captivate moviegoers around the world," he added.

Borderlands isn't the first film to come from a Take-Two property, as the Max Payne series came to the big-screen in 2008 with a movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. Lionsgate did not share a release date, or even a rough window, for when the Borderlands movie will arrive.

Gearbox is currently working on a third entry in the core Borderlands series, though not much at all is known about this project. More details may come very soon, however, as the Texas-based studio has promised "reveals, surprises, and exclusives" for its presentation this evening at PAX Prime. If not details about Borderlands 3, Gearbox will for sure talk about the Borderlands movie during this event.

The most recent video game movie, Hitman: Agent 47, was trounced by critics and struggled at the box office during its debut weekend.

In addition to Borderlands, more than a dozen other gaming franchises are currently being adapted for feature films. Check out this gallery to see them all.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 29 comments about this story