Summary
Eli Roth’sBorderlandsis the film adaptation of the extremely popular video game that is set in a dystopian world where treasure-crazed vault hunters are willing to do just about anything to unlock the secrets of the planet Pandora. In the movie, a group of misfits (made up of characters from the game) must save a missing girl, Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt) who is the key to unlocking the secrets of the lost vault.
Krieg, played by Florian Munteanu, is the muscle of the group. He acts as a protector of Tina, unwilling to allow her to come to any harm. Because of this, he worked closely with Greenblatt while filming. Florian is also known for his roles as Razor Fist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, andViktor Drago in theCreedfilms.
Ariana Greenblatt’s Inspiration For Borderlands Shares A Clever Connection With 2023’s Biggest Movie
Ariana Greenblatt recently shared her inspiration for her Borderlands role, and it shares an interesting connection to 2023’s biggest movie.
Screen Rantspoke to Florian Munteanu about his latest role and thechallenges he faced while filmingBorderlands. He also discusses working with director Eli Roth and having Greenblatt as a costar. Florian reveals if he thinks his Marvel character Razor Fist could survive theBorderlandsworld and offers an update on theDragofilm.
Florian Munteanu Is A Borderlands Fan
While he does not have much time for gaming anymore, Florian admits that he is a massive fan oftheBorderlandsgaming franchise, so being a part of this film was exciting for him. He talks about what it was like stepping into that world, and being on set.
Florian Munteanu: I’m a massive fan. I’ve played them myself. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time anymore to invest in those games. Usually, I was gaming, maybe like four, five, or six hours a day if I could. But unfortunately, I can’t do that anymore. But yes, massive fan of the franchise.
It was unreal, to me personally, [stepping onto the set], because I am a fan. I had to pinch myself a couple of times because you see what production created, what they were able to create, and it looked like the games. It looked crazy. We had a couple of movie sets that looked insane. And the question to me was always, once the movie comes out, once it went through post-production and editing, will we be able to create that atmosphere with the coloring and the editing? Because the games have a special tone to it. A very unique tone to it. And I think we did.
Florian Munteanu Talks Challenges While Filming Borderlands
Taking on this role was not without its challenges, however, especially when it comes to performing the stunt choreography in big boots and a mask, but he was able to overcome them thanks to lots of training.
Florian Munteanu: The goal was to create something that looks exactly like [Krieg] physically. As you may imagine, it took a lot of training and almost no food. So those were the tough times to get that crazy definition, to get in that crazy shape that Krieg has. And then the costume was challenging. Not gonna lie. Definitely my first time where I was using those big boots. It’s tough to move and fight in them. The mask was a challenge. I had a blurry and tainted vision. I couldn’t really see. It was a process to really find the right mask, that gave me the best vision, that didn’t move as much when I was moving. But at the end of the day, we always make it work, you always find a way, you always fight through. I’ve seen the movie and I think it works out perfectly.
In the beginning, when we started to train the choreography, I wasn’t using the mask. And then, thank God, we had a good stunt team, and they were like, “You know what, I think you should do all the choreography and the training with the mask, just so you get a better feeling and a better understanding of what’s going to happen once the cameras start rolling.” That was really helpful because it basically prepared me for all the situations and for the moments that might occur once the cameras were rolling. But it was tough. It was tough. It was challenging. But once you have a challenge in front of you, you should embrace it, because that’s the moment when you are allowed to grow.
Ariana Greenblatt Will Be A Superstar
There is no doubt that Ariana Greenblatt is a fantastic actress. She has already joined the Marvel and Star Wars franchises, as well as delivering an incredible performance inBarbie. Her take on Tiny Tina walks the fine line between cute and psychotic, which is true to the video game version. Florian discusses working with her, and why he thinks she has a great career ahead of her.
Florian Munteanu: The most fun, you can imagine? Honestly, she’s the most talented young girl I’ve ever seen in my life. If I think back to when I was her age, I was not even close to what she is now. Ariana is very talented, very smart, very athletically gifted, which I really want to underline. I mean, she had a stunt double in the beginning, but the goal was always to do as much yourself as possible. And she has really insane moves. She’s very gifted in that segment as well. And yeah, we had a lot of fun with it, obviously, and I think she’s the whole package. She will be a superstar in the next years. I can’t wait to see the journey.
Working With Director Eli Roth
Eli Roth has had an incredible career in entertainment and was a great choice to write and direct thisBorderlandsadaptation. Florian talks about what it was like working with him, and how things just fell into place for him to take on the role of Krieg.
Florian Munteanu: Eli is the one who cast me. So, I’m thankful for that. We talked a lot about the character. I know that in the beginning, they definitely had some issues with the casting just because it’s not that easy to find someone in the acting world who also can bring that physicality who also is able to deliver the fight scenes, the way Krieg fights. I mean, in terms of fighting and the characters we have from the game in this movie, he is the one. He’s the fighter. He’s the soldier. So he told me that it was a tough process.
But thank God, I’m in shape all year round, waiting for opportunities. Once that opportunity came, I was not too far away from having a really good shape. And then it was beneficial that I played the games and I knew the character. That helped a lot. Working with Eli, of course, tremendous.
Could The MCU’s Razor Fist Survive Borderlands?
Florian plays Razor Fist inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, another physically terrifying villain. When asked if he thinks Razor Fist could survive the world ofBorderlandsand who would win in a fight. Florian suggests that Krieg and he join forces because no one would be able to hold their own against them.
Florian Munteanu: Imagine Razor Fist against Krieg? What a battle that would be. That would be insane. [Who would win?] That’s a really tough one. I wouldn’t pick one. Maybe they’re teaming up? That would be great to see. I don’t think there would be an opponent out there who could stand that heat. Razor Fist, I mean, maybe there will be a crossover, from the Marvel Universe over to Borderlands or the other way around? Who knows?
Drago Movie Update
Florian also plays Victor Drago inCreed IIandCreed III. Fans of the franchise know that aDragofilm was confirmed in 2022, which will star Florian and Dolph Lundgren. When asked if he could provide any update on the movie, he did not reveal much, but says that sometime next year we should have more details.
Florian Munteanu: I’m the most excited about it. We have worked for a couple of years now on this project. I can confidently say that we’re in a very good place right now. I think me and Dolph are very happy with where we are at right now. It’s just a lot of people have to make decisions here, and we have to find a compromise. The tone of that movie has to be slightly darker than what we have seen in Creed just because those characters come from a different world, different environment, different upbringing. So we want to stay true to what the characters are, keep the essence of what the characters are. But we are in a very good place. Hopefully next year, we’re going to hear more about what’s going to happen.
About Borderlands
Returning to her home planet, an infamous outlaw forms an unexpected alliance with a team of unlikely heroes. Together, they battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.
Borderlands
Cast
Based on the video game franchise, Borderlands is a sci-fi action-comedy film that follows Cate Blanchett as Lilith, a treasure hunter who returns to her home planet, Pandora, to find a tycoon’s missing daughter. Together with a group of unlikely allies, such as a soldier, a teenaged demolitions expert, a wise-cracking robot, and an eccentric scientist, the group will work together to save the girl - all while learning to deal with each other’s unyielding quirks.
