Borderlands director Eli Roth hits back at Guardians of the Galaxy comparisons: ‘They’ll see it’s different’

The director of the forthcoming film Borderlands has pushed back against claims that the film will mimic Marvel’s hit Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Adapted from the best-selling video game series of the same name, Borderlands stars Kevin Hart, Cate Blanchett, and Jack Black, and is set in a violent post-apocalyptic society.

Early trailers for the film have prompted many viewers to compare its aesthetic and tone to Guardians of the Galaxy, the colourful 2014 space opera starring Chris Pratt.

Speaking to Total Film about the comparisons, director Eli Roth said: "There’s going to be similarities no matter what you do, just because of the nature of the subject matter.

“I was very conscious of not remaking Guardians. [Audiences will] see the movie, and they’ll see it’s different.”

Released in 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy was an ensemble sci-fi film starring Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista as a group of interstellar mercenaries who team up to save the galaxy. It spawned two sequels, as well as a Christmas special that streamed on Disney+.

Borderlands is adapted from a hit video game series, and follows a woman named Lilleth (Blanchett), who returns to her home planet of Pandora and assembles a team of outcasts in a mission to locate the daughter of the universe’s most powerful man.

Since the first Borderlands game in 2009, there have been 11 releases in the franchise, including collections and spin-offs.

Speaking about the project’s status as a video game adaptation, Roth told Total Film: “I said, ‘I don’t want [audiences] to be like, ‘Oh, that was a good video-game movie.’ I want them to say, ‘That was a really fun science-fiction film, period’.”

The film will be released in cinemas on 9 August.

Hart announced he was joining the project back in 2021, writing on Instagram: “This is a BIG one....So excited to be working with Cate Blanchett & Eli Roth on such an amazing project. Borderlands .....Wooooooow. God is gooooooood!!!!! Let’s goooooooo #HustleHart.”

At the time, the Jumanji star’s involvement in the series was questioned by some of the fans of the games, with the comedian a tonally unconventional choice for what was originally a hard-as-nails character.

Roth meanwhile said that he was “thrilled to be working with” Hart, and noted that Borderlands “is a different kind of role for him”.

“We are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they’ve never seen before. He’s going to be an amazing Roland,” he said at the time the casting was announced.