Cate Blanchett is confirmed for the Borderlands film

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The critically-acclaimed actress will portray the vault hunter Lilith.

Cate Blanchett in Thor: Ragnarok (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Earlier this month we heard a rumor that Cate Blanchett was in talks to appear in the upcoming Borderlands movie adaptation. And now Lionsgate has made it official: The rumor was true, the talks were successful, and Cate Blanchett is in.

"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," director Eli Roth said in a statement on Entertainment Weekly.

"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."

"Iconic" is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but even so I think it might be a little premature to run with it at this point. But there's no doubt that Borderlands is big right now—Borderlands 3 became 2K Games' fastest-selling game of all time when it came out last year—and Blanchett is too. She's a critically acclaimed actress with two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes to her name, but she's also made a mark in summer blockbuster flicks, including as Galadrield in the Lord of the Rings films, the evil KGB Dr. Irina Spalko in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and as Hela, the goddess of death, in Thor: Ragnarok.

The Borderlands film is still in pre-production and there's no indication at this point as to when it might be out, but even so, Blanchett's presence gives the project an immediate boost in both visibility and credibility.

And speaking of Borderlands, in case you hadn't heard, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, which includes Borderlands 2, the Pre-Sequel, and DLC for both, is free for the week on the Epic Games Store. 

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.