Borderlands movie first look shows Cate Blanchett rocking red hair as Lilith

Gear up, vault hunters! People has published the first images from Thanksgiving director Eli Roth's Borderlands movie, and for fans of Gear Box's acclaimed post-apocalyptic shooter video games, there's plenty to get excited about. There's also plenty to get excited about even if you aren't familiar with the games, because who doesn't want to watch Cate Blanchett rock bright red hair and wield psionic powers in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?

That's Blanchett, decked out in full costume as Lilith, a Siren who is one of the Borderlands' games most iconic characters. From where I'm sitting, Roth and his team nailed the aesthetic, and not just for Blanchett. Borderlands also stars Kevin Hart as Roland, a former soldier seeking redemption; Ariana Greenblatt as "feral pre-teen demolitionist" Tiny Tina; Florian Munteanu as Tina's musclebound bodyguard Krieg; Jamie Lee Curtis as the scientist Tannis; and Jack Black as the voice of the wisecracking robot Claptrap. Here's a picture of the whole gang together:

They'll be teaming up in the movie to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Edgar Ramírez), who's described as "the universe's most powerful S.O.B." Yup, that sounds like the Borderlands humor alright. Here's the full synopsis from distributor Lionsgate:

Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous treasure hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramirez), the universe's most powerful S.O.B. She forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits — Roland (Hart), once a highly respected soldier, but now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Arianna Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina's musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist who's seen it all; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of hte universe could be in their hands — but they'll be fighting for something more: each other.

Images are exciting enough, but tomorrow we'll also be getting the first trailer for the film! Here's a teaser to whet the appetite:

Borderlands filmed in Hungary from April to June of 2021. At the time filming wrapped, Jamie Lee Curtis shared a "secret BTS shot" she took of Lilith on Instagram, which showed Blanchett's silhouette, calling her "our legendary heroine, psycho blasting, vault hunting, vixen with a bad attitude and two Oscars to add to the baddasery in her tool belt, the once and future Queen of EVERYTHING, [Cate Blanchett]."

Following the wrap of filming, Borderlands spent the next few years in an unusually long period of post-production and reshoots, leaving many of us wondering what exactly was going on with the film. Fortunately, that long period of uncertainty is at an end. Borderlands is due out in theaters on August 9. If you want to familiarize yourself with this zany sci-fi world ahead of time, the first three Borderlands games are widely available on a variety of gaming platforms.

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