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Cate Blanchett to Officially Star in Eli Roth’s ‘Borderlands’

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Cate Blanchett has officially closed a deal to star in director Eli Roth’s movie adaptation of the video game “Borderlands” at Lionsgate.

Blanchett will portray Lilith, a legendary thief equipped with magical skills. Lionsgate announced the deal on Thursday, a month after Variety first reported the attachment.

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The project reunites Blanchett with Roth, who collaborated on “The House With a Clock in Its Walls.”

Blanchett currently stars in “Mrs. America,” which she also executive produces, and will star in James Gray’s upcoming “Armageddon Time” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up.” She’s won Academy Awards for her performances in “The Aviator” and “Blue Jasmine,” and was nominated for “Elizabeth,” “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “Notes on a Scandal” and “I’m Not There.”

Roth said, “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. 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.”

“Borderlands,” launched in 2009, is a role-playing first-person shooter game created and developed by Gearbox Software and published by Take-Two Interactive Software’s 2K label. The game is set on the planet of Pandora, which has been abandoned by a mega-corporation prior to the game events. The series has sold more than 57 million units worldwide. The most recent installment, “Borderlands 3,” was released last September.

“Borderlands” will be produced by Avi and Ari Arad, who produce through their Arad Productions banner, and Erik Feig, through Picturestart, who have shepherded the project and overseen development, including the latest draft of the screenplay by Emmy-winning screenwriter Craig Mazin. The film’s executive producers are Randy Pitchford, executive producer of the “Borderlands” video game franchise and founder of Gearbox Entertainment Company, and Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive.

Blanchett is represented by CAA. Robert Melnik negotiated the deal on behalf of Lionsgate. James Myers and Aaron Edmonds are overseeing the project for Lionsgate. Emmy Yu is overseeing the film for Arad Productions. Lucy Kitada will oversee the movie for Picturestart.

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