This week, the highly-anticipated Borderlands movie has hit theaters, but unfortunately, it hasn’t received the warmest reception from critics. In the current cinematic landscape, the PG-13 adaptation is facing stiff competition from Marvel’s R-rated powerhouse, Deadpool and Wolverine, which are expected to dominate the box office for a third consecutive weekend. However, there exists a much darker and grittier version of Borderlands that may never see the light of day.
Jimmy O’Dee, the stunt coordinator for Borderlands, shared in an interview with ScreenRant that the original vision for the film was R-rated, featuring graphic violence such as decapitations and dismemberment that ultimately didn’t make the final cut.
“We were shooting an R-rated movie when we did it,” O’Dee reminisced. “So, we were blowing people’s heads off. And we were cutting feet off. We were doing all of that. But then, you know, a lot happens. We shot that nearly three years ago, or we just finished it. So, I guess a lot happens in post, and they see where it’s going to go and what market they’re aiming for. But literally the idea and the brief was carnage… Go for it and then we’ll sort it out in post.”
Although Deadpool director Tim Miller took charge of the reshoots, O’Dee revealed that the original director, Eli Roth, had a penchant for a more hardcore approach.
“Eli loves horror,” O’Dee explained. “He loves horror. It was funny, he was on the second unit, he came over, and he was like, ‘Uh… just cut the ankles off. Yeah, get the knife and cut the ankles and we will leave these stubs.’ It was kind of like there wasn’t enough gore for him sometimes. Eli was all over that kind of stuff. He was great to work with. It was such a fun time with him.”
If the R-rated version of Borderlands does exist in a completed or near-completed state, there is a possibility of it being released on Blu-ray or 4K in the future. However, if the current iteration of the film underperforms at the box office, there may not be a significant demand for alternative versions.
Borderlands is now showing in theaters, offering audiences a glimpse into the world of Pandora unlike anything seen before.