The upcoming Cate Blanchett-fronted Borderlands film is the start of a “Borderlands Cinematic Universe”, according to Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford.
Speaking with IGN about the recent Borderlands trailer, Pitchford discussed the film’s place in the video game universe, saying it “lives side by side”.
“Of course, the characters are there and authentic in the themes and even some of the storylines. But they’re independent storylines,” Pitchford told the publication, stating the film isn’t either Borderlands 1 or 2. Rather, it is “the first of the Borderlands Cinematic Universe”, which means fans of the series will “see some characters from some of the different parts of what you might know from the video games”.
Pitchford said this approach has allowed the film’s team to “get deeper and expand a little bit” on the Borderlands world. “You never met the CEO of the Atlas Corporation and you will meet that character for the first time in the Borderlands movie and his name is Deukalian Atlas,” the Gearbox executive said.