Borderlands movie casts Janina Gavankar as "badass" newcomer Commander Knoxx

Janina Gavankar in The Way Back — (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Borderlands movie has cast Janina Gavankar as Commander Knox, a brand new character created specifically for the upcoming film adaptation.

The news of Gavankar's casting was revealed by Gearbox co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford, who's serving as a producer on the Borderlands movie. "Janina Gavankar will join the cast of the Borderlands movie as an all-new character I named specifically for this story," Pitchford wrote on Twitter. "Janina will play Commander Knoxx, who followed in her father's footsteps when she joined Atlas' private army, the Crimson Lance. She is, in a word, badass."

Some of Gavankar's most popular roles include shapeshifter Luna Garza in True Blood, McKenna Hall on The CW's Arrow, and Angela from the 2020 sports drama The Way Back, which also stars Ben Affleck. Notably, she also played the fan-favorite Iden Versio in Star Wars Battlefront 2.

Gavankar joins an extraordinarily star-studded cast bringing Gearbox's co-op looter shooter to life on the big screen. Cate Blanchett is starring as Lilith alongside horror icon Jamie Lee Curtis, who's playing Dr. Tannis. Then we've got actor Jack Black playing Claptrap and comedian and actor Kevin Hart filling the role of Roland. We also know Ariana Greenblatt, a young actor with roles in Avengers: Infinity War and other Disney projects, will be playing the rambunctious Tiny Tina.

Janina Gavankar will join the cast of the Borderlands movie as an all-new character I named specifically for this story. Janina will play Commander Knoxx, who followed in her father's footsteps when she joined Atlas' private army, the Crimson Lance. She is, in a word, badass. pic.twitter.com/LzWWqlPildApril 12, 2021

Commander Knoxx isn't the only original character making her series debut in the Borderlands movie. It was revealed last month that Haley Bennett, who's had roles in the 2020 crime drama The Devil All the Time and the 2019 indie horror flick Swallow, will play a mysterious key role related to Blanchett's Lilith.

The Borderlands movie sounds equally promising behind the scenes, with horror director Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel, Death Wish) directing and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin writing the script. Though we don't have a release date yet, it sounds like the Borderlands movie will start filming in Hungary any minute now.

In the meantime, check out our definitive ranking of the best video game movies of all time.

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.