The Borderlands movie is about to hit theaters and fans can soon follow the adventure of some of its most iconic characters in the bombastic live-action adaptation. Borderlands' world has always been a fascinating and entertaining one, at turns chaotically comic while others somberly tragic. The series features a wealth of backstories and motivations for its large collection of eclectic characters, weaving various threads and storylines together in hilarious and heartwarming ways.
Florian Munteanu, known for his successful professional boxing career and starring as Viktor Drago in Creed 2 and Creed 3, as well as Razor Fist in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is cast in the role of Borderlands' resident psycho, Krieg for the film version. As a bigger change in both personality and presentation from the aforementioned parts, Munteanu spoke with Game Rant about how his enthusiasm for the series, knowledge of the character, and skills as a fighter helped him bring the Krieg that fans know and love from the games onto the silver screen.
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What Happened to Krieg Before the Events of Borderlands 3
Fan-favorite character Krieg remains MIA in Borderlands 3, though cut content and ECHO logs paint a picture of where the Vault Hunter Psycho has been.
How Florian Munteanu Embodied Krieg in the Borderlands Movie
Why Krieg Was the Perfect Role
Munteanu stated that he was already a big fan of the franchise well before joining the project, more so after the second title introduced Krieg and Borderland 3's Fantastic Fustercluck DLC expanded on his story. He noted identifying not only with the similarities in their imposing physicality but also how he was intrigued by Krieg's tragic history and splintered personality, which makes the character much more compelling and multidimensional than appearances suggest.
Regarding the use of his physical prowess and training to impart to Krieg's depiction in the film, Munteanu explained how Krieg's often spastic movements and use of an unconventional weapon, which was a first for the actor in this instance, took time to adjust to. This also added to the complexity of filming some of Borderlands' intense fight scenes involving Krieg but was ultimately a satisfying experience.
"I remember coming in about three weeks prior to the start of shooting and adapting to his fighting style, his unpredictability also. He moves a lot differently, you know, his actions are uncontrolled, there’s not a lot of thinking behind it; it’s much more instinctual."
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"You don’t have to think too much about it, you can just kind of go as crazy as possible. That’s something I really enjoyed."
Fully Embracing Krieg and the Man Behind the Mask
Borderlands' psychos all don iconic masks, Krieg being no exception. As such, it was a balancing act to factor this into the performance. Munteanu described that it was initially a bit of a challenge to find the right type of design and material for Krieg's mask that allowed the best fit and maneuverability. He tried out various versions until settling on a combination that worked.
Once the mask was set, Munteanu relayed a fun story about the reaction that a fellow cast member had when they realized that he wasn't remaining stoic behind it, in fact putting his all into it despite his face being almost completely covered most of the time.
"We had a scene where we were in Roland’s car, and Kevin Hart turns to me as I’m delivering my lines. That was the first time he saw what I was doing behind the mask, and it took him a while to deal with that because he thought it was so funny, all the wild expressions I was making. I’m saying I didn’t 'hide' behind that mask, I was fully playing into it."
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Borderlands 3
The original shooter-looter returns, packing bazillions of guns and an all-new mayhem-fueled adventure! Blast through new worlds and enemies as one of four brand new Vault Hunters – the ultimate treasure-seeking badasses of the Borderlands, each with deep skill trees, abilities, and customization. Play solo or join with friends to take on insane enemies, score loads of loot and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy.
A MAYHEM-FUELED THRILL RIDE
Stop the fanatical Calypso Twins from uniting the bandit clans and claiming the galaxy’s ultimate power. Only you, a thrill-seeking Vault Hunter, have the arsenal and allies to take them down.
YOUR VAULT HUNTER, YOUR PLAYSTYLE
Become one of four extraordinary Vault Hunters, each with unique abilities, playstyles, deep skill trees, and tons of personalization options. All Vault Hunters are capable of awesome mayhem alone, but together they are unstoppable.
LOCK, LOAD, AND LOOT
With bazillions of guns and gadgets, every fight is an opportunity to score new gear. Firearms with self-propelling bullet shields? Check. Rifles that spawn fire-spewing volcanoes? Obviously. Guns that grow legs and chase down enemies while hurling verbal insults? Yeah, got that too.
NEW BORDERLANDS
Discover new worlds beyond Pandora, each featuring unique environments to explore and enemies to destroy. Tear through hostile deserts, battle your way across war-torn cityscapes, navigate deadly bayous, and more! QUICK & SEAMLESS CO-OP ACTION
Play with anyone at any time online or in split-screen co-op, regardless of your level or mission progress. Take down enemies and challenges as a team, but reap rewards that are yours alone – no one misses out on loot.
First-Person Shooter
Action
RPG
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:81/100 Critics Recommend:78%
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch , PC , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Stadia , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- September 13, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer , Online Co-Op , Local Co-Op
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-4 Players
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
