Jumanji star and comedian Kevin Hart has been signed to play Roland in the upcoming Borderlands movie according to The Hollywood Reporter. Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Borderlands is being directed by horror maestro Eli Roth based on a screenplay by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford and Take-Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick are serving as executive producers.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Kevin,” Roth said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Borderlands is a different kind of role for him, and we are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they’ve never seen before. He’s going to be an amazing Roland.”
Hart is the second actor to join the Borderlands cast after Cate Blanchett, who will be playing Siren firestarter Lilith despite my colleague Luke Plunkett’s pleas to the contrary.
He’s not really my cup of tea, but even fans of the diminutive comedian have to admit that Hart is an odd choice for Roland, a stacked, stoic mercenary who often acts as the straight man in the games’ outlandish plots. But hey, what could go wrong giving a series already lambasted for its meme-filled dialogue one more funny guy to scream ostensible jokes at the audience.