The Borderlands movie, released last year, was predominantly met with criticism and later with indifference. The reasons for its lackluster reception vary, but director Eli Roth attributes part of the issue to the timing of its production.
The filming of Borderlands commenced in 2021, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent episode of The Town podcast, Roth reflected on how neither the production team nor Hollywood as a whole anticipated the complexities the pandemic would bring. During this period, the situation was chaotic, with distancing protocols preventing in-person collaboration, which meant that tasks like pre-visualization with stunt teams were hindered by physical separation.
Roth explained that various teams were working on different sets, each facing interruptions due to cities opening up and subsequently closing again. Managing a big-budget movie under those conditions proved to be both challenging and humbling, as Roth acknowledged that they initially believed they could manage but found themselves struggling.
Complications increased for Roth as he concurrently worked on his slasher movie, Thanksgiving, in 2023. This situation led to Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool, overseeing the reshoots for Borderlands in 2023. These reshoots incorporated new pages from writer Zak Olkewicz, building on earlier revisions to Craig Mazin’s original 2020 script.
By the time Roth moved on to Thanksgiving, his knowledge of the developments in Borderlands was as limited as the public’s. Upon eventually viewing the film, Roth described the experience as surreal, noting the odd experience of watching a project credited to him without full knowledge of its content. Despite these challenges, Roth’s relationship with Lionsgate remained unaffected. The experience, however, prompted him to reconsider his involvement levels in projects and refocus on his passion for horror films.
