Florian Munteanu, who played Viktor Drago in Creed II, is in final negotiations to join Eli Roth’s high-flying adaptation of popular video game Borderlands for Lionsgate.
The boxer-turned-actor will join an A-list call sheet that includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black and The One and Only Ivan’s Ariana Greenblatt in the project that brings to life Gearbox Software and 2K’s first-person shooter game.
The game features a motley group that travels to a distant planet in search of fables riches and alien technology.
The 6’4, 235-pound Munteanu will play Krieg, the musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector of Tiny Tina, the unstable 13-year-old explosive expert being played by Greenblatt.
“Florian brings real humanity and multiple layers to a character who on the surface seems totally insane and brutally savage,” said Roth in a statement. “Krieg was by far the most difficult role to cast, and Florian brought him to life and grounded him in a way that I didn’t know was possible. He’s going to be a brilliant Krieg and will fit in perfectly with our incredible cast.”
The rest of the line up sees Blanchett as Lilith, a woman with great superpowers, Hart is legendary thief Roland, Curtis is archeologist and scientist Dr. Tannis, while Black is Claptrap, an enthusiastic robot.
Production begins mid-April in Hungary.
Craig Mazin wrote the latest draft of Borderlands. The feature is being produced by Avi Arad and Ari Arad via their Arad Productions along with Erik Feig of Picturestart.
James Myers and Aaron Edmonds are overseeing the project on behalf of Lionsgate. Emmy Yu is overseeing the film for Arad Productions. Lucy Kitada and Royce Reeves-Darby are shepherding for Picturestart.
Randy Pitchford, executive producer of the Borderlands video game franchise and founder of the Gearbox Entertainment Company, and Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two, are exec producing.
Munteanu made his feature acting debut with the hard-hitting Drago role opposite Michael B. Jordan in Creed II. The success of that movie got him noticed by Marvel, who then cast him as Razor Fist in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, set for release July 9. He will also be seen in Thunder Road’s Violence of Action.
Munteanu is repped by Gersh and attorney Patti Felker.