Kevin Hart Officially Joins Borderlands Movie With Cate Blanchett, Directed By Eli Roth

Actor and comedian Kevin Hart has officially boarded the upcoming Borderlands movie. He joins Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, who was previously announced to star in the film, and we've also learned about who Hart will play in the adaptation of Gearbox's popular game.

Hart is lined up to portray Roland, a former soldier, who appears in Borderlands 1 and 2, according to Variety. It is rumored that Blanchett will play Lilith in the film, which will be directed by horror movie veteran Eli Roth. Lilith plays a major role in the trilogy, especially in the third game. The second had ended on a cliffhanger that seemed to be putting her front-and-center as the most important character in the franchise. Depending on the plot of the film, there will likely be several other big names making an appearance. The series' best-known villain, Handsome Jack, first appeared in Borderlands 2.

Craig Mazin, who is writing the Last of Us TV show, is attached to write the Borderlands script, making it his second video game project. Roth's previous work has tended to be extremely violent, as we saw in the Hostel films. He has also acted on occasion, playing Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Inglorious Basterds.

Roth said he is "thrilled" to be working with Hart. "Borderlands is a different kind of role for him, and we are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they've never seen before. He's going to be an amazing Roland," Roth said.

The Borderlands movie is in production at Lionsgate, the company known for The Hunger Games, John Wick, and Saw franchises, among many others.

Hart's involvement in the Borderlands movie is not exactly a surprise, as the head of a Budapest-based production company already let slip that the Jumanji actor would appear in the film. The Borderlands movie is expected to begin filming later this year in Budapest.