According to Borderlands director Eli Roth, Cate Blanchett pulled off a lot of crazy feats while filming the video game adaptation.

Beyond The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, as well as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Cate Blanchett doesn’t have many genre films in her previous credits. But she’s adding another one this summer in the live-action adaptation of the Borderlands video games. And according to director Eli Roth, audiences aren’t prepared to see some of the things that Blanchett did while embracing her inner action heroine as Lilith.

“You’ve seen [Blanchett] twirling the baton [in Tár], but you haven’t seen her twirling guns behind her back,” said Roth during an interview with Empire. “She’s a master at it. A big part of the fun of the movie is watching it and thinking, ‘I can’t believe they all did this crazy stuff.’ Cate with a flame-thrower–a real flame-thrower–come on! That’s pretty badass.”

Roth also revealed that one of Blanchett’s personal favorite films helped influence her take on Lilith.

“She loves Escape From New York,” noted Roth. “It’s her favorite movie. But nobody would know that because why would you ask her about Escape From New York when you’re interviewing her about Lydia Tár?” He also said that the film was Blanchett’s opportunity to “do this incredible kind of Kurt Russell [character]”.

Blanchett is headlining Borderlands opposite Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis, Borderlands will hit theaters on August 9.

The first trailer for the Borderlands movie has arrived, and while it is set in a completely different timeline to the original games, it’s still packed with plenty of nods to the shoot-and-loot franchise. Director Eli Roth–with some assistance from Deadpool’s Tim Miller–had plenty to work with when filming began, as by 2021, there were multiple mainline Borderlands games and spin-offs that fleshed out the hostile galaxy of alien vaults, meat-bicycle-obsessed bandits, and corporations with unchecked power.

We’ve gathered up the best of these Easter eggs below, and if the first proper look at the film has you excited to see the full feature film, you can catch Borderlands in theaters from August 9.

Welcome to Pandora

Cate Blanchett’s character of Lilith has been described as an outlaw who once called Pandora home, but strangely, there’s been barely any sign of her using any of her trademark Siren powers when in danger. In the Borderlands games, Lilith is one of a handful of gifted individuals who wield incredible cosmic powers, with her gifts manifesting as Phoenix-inspired flames. Sirens are also easily distinguished by elaborate tattoos covering their body, but so far, there’s no sign of these on this Lilith.

Plus, that bus stop behind Lilith is a dead ringer for the one seen in the original Borderlands, a location where Vault Hunters were dropped off outside of the town of Fyrestone.

All aboard!

Every journey starts with a single step, but on Pandora, you’ll want to take a bus if you don’t want to wind up as Skag droppings. This particular mode of transportation should be familiar to Borderlands veterans, as this particular vehicle helped ferry Vault Hunters to Fyrestone back when arms dealer Marcus was behind the wheel.

Siren and deadly

What you can spot in a brief moment in the trailer is Lilith using her ability to teleport, as she moves herself and her team to safer locations. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see the more explosive side of her personality that earned her the title of “Firehawk” amongst the tribes of Pandora.

Roland to the rescue

One of the more dependable Vault Hunters in Borderlands, Roland is played by Kevin Hart in the film. Described as an elite mercenary looking for redemption, Hart isn’t playing against type in this role as he adds some comic relief to the gang with his take on the character. At least he’s good with vehicle-mounted turrets!

Patricia Tannis knows stuff

The most polite way to describe Patricia Tannis is that she’s very socially inept. A genius scientist and archeologist, Tannis is an expert on alien cultures and vaults and a rookie when it comes to socializing with people. She’s not much of a fighter in the games until Borderlands 3, but her intelligence and wits have allowed her to survive on Pandora.

Tiny Tina is hosting a TNT party

A genius when it comes to explosions, Tiny Tina has a tragic story in the games. After her parents became unwitting test subjects for Hyperion experiments and died, Tina escaped, she settled on Pandora and became a demolitions expert. She’s had a regular role in the series since Borderlands 2, and this incarnation is being played by Ariana Greenblatt, who recently appeared as a young version of the Jedi Ahsoka Tano in her self-titled Disney+ series.

The film version of Tiny Tina looks very similar to her video game source material, as she’s dressed in a hodge-podge dress accentuated by her signature rabbit ears headband from Borderlands 3.

Krieg, a man of few words

Played by Florian Munteanu and acting as Tiny Tina’s bodyguard in the film, Krieg was also experimented on by Hyperion. Surviving the inhuman treatment that destroyed his sanity, Krieg developed a dominant and violent personality to help him cope with all of the pain he endured. He’d eventually escape, but the damage was already done and he found himself consumed by his murderous impulses. Krieg’s original personality does have some control over his body, satiating his bloodlust by focusing on Pandora’s more vile inhabitants instead of innocent people.

Oh no, it’s Claptrap

The mascot of Borderlands, Claptrap is an enduring icon with a plucky attitude, an over-inflated sense of self-worth, and vocal processors that refuse to be switched off. Jack Black voices this incarnation, who has a new–and disgusting–bullet-pooping trick up his exhaust port that the original didn’t have.

This Claptrap looks like he was ripped straight from the game, as he sports his Hyperion color scheme and numerous dings from a lifetime of being used as a personal punching bag by everyone on Pandora.

Welcome to Moxxi’s, sugar

When you need a drink on Pandora, Moxxi’s is the place to head to. The legendary barkeep is a Jill-of-all-trades, and when she’s not providing missions to players or tending her bar, she can be found running deathmatches inside of her Underdome colosseum. In the movie, she’s played by Gina Gershon, and she’s the spitting image of one of the most popular characters in all of Borderlands.

Pandora’s charm

Almost everything on Pandora is out to get you, and in this quick shot, you can see an unlucky Skag pup wind up as lunch for an opportunistic Rakk.

Power in numbers

Pandora is largely populated by millions of bandits, as well as suicidal Psychos who won’t think twice about running directly into your gunfire. They’re another signature part of the game, regularly gracing the cover of Borderlands titles and constantly screaming about meat-bicycles.

The fella in charge in the image above? We’re not certain who he is, but he looks heavily inspired by one of the early bosses of Borderlands 3, Mouthpiece. A DJ peddling propaganda for the Calypso Twins in the threequel, Mouthpiece was locked and loaded with the power of dubstep when you encountered him the first time.

Lonely planet

Pandora isn’t just a desolate world full of natural hazards; it’s also a planet that has been ransacked by corporations that have plundered it of its natural resources. The Dahl corporation is super-guilty of this, as its excavations have turned large swathes of the world into inhospitable tracts of land.

Catch a riiiiiide!

Another nod to the first game, it looks like Scooter’s Catch-A-Ride vehicle rental system is up and running. Just remember, there’s a pimento taco–a pimentaco–in the glove box.

Port-a-potty treasure

If you’re in a gun battle on Pandora and you’re really desperate, just know that you can usually find a weapon or two in your nearest portable Dahl toilet. Or Dook Hut, as the bandits refer to them.

Face-on

Customization formed a key part of the Borderlands games, and it looks like these little holographic disguises are a nice reference to the animation that would play whenever you flipped between cosmetics. Tiny Tina’s mask is another reference to her Borderlands 2 appearance, as back before she adopted bunny ears, she’d wear a small Psycho mask as a decoration.

No refunds!

If you’re looking for a weapon in Pandora, Marcus is usually your go-to guy for getting your hands on some iron. Anything goes with this arms dealer, but he does have one rule that he never breaks: No refunds!

Atlas shrugged

Corporations rule the universe in Borderlands, and at the top of that corporate foodchain, sits Atlas himself. Played by Edgar Ramirez, not much is known about him, but he has been described as the most dangerous man alive in Borderlands. And when the boss of the biggest arms-manufacturing company loses his daughter on Pandora, you can bet that he’ll do everything in his vast power to get her back.

The Crimson Lance has arrived

Bandits, Psychos, and Skags are bad enough, but you know what’s worse? The personal security force of Atlas, the Crimson Lance. The best of the best when it comes to highly trained private military contractors, these special forces wield cutting-edge firearms on behalf of the Atlas corporation.

Treasure planet

Every Vault Hunter dreams of fame and fortune, and the quickest way to become a legend is to discover an Eridian Vault. Unfortunately, these alien locations are home to fantastic loot and monsters, so a quick death is all but assured. For the rare few who can survive and triumph, the vaults offer riches, exotic technology, and the secrets of the universe.

Hyped for Hyperion

Atlas is the top dog in the Borderlands universe, but if a challenger is waiting to usurp its position, it has to be Hyperion. A growing corporate powerhouse, Hyperion has been run by several suits over the decades, but its most notable leader in the video games is a handsome devil by the name of Jack. A man who knows a lot of secrets regarding the true nature of the vaults and the Sirens.

Time for a tea party

Tiny Tina’s a lady of culture, and you can bet she loves a good tea party with some of her best stuffed-friends, like Princess Fluffy-Butt above. Pass the tea and TNT, would you?

I Maliwant one of those guns

You might be short on edible food, water, and medical supplies on Pandora, but you’ll never be without a gun! Billions of weapons can be found on the planet, and for anyone looking to do some elemental damage, you can’t beat Maliwan’s range of death-dealing weapons.

EXPLOSIONS!

What would Mr. Torgue, the CEO of a weapons-manufacturing company specializing in explosive firearms, say if he saw a young child wielding one of his rocket launchers? Probably “YES” followed by an air guitar solo.

The Sirens of the Kablams

That fireworks explosion looks very inspired by Lilith’s Siren powers, which typically resemble the mythical Phoenix. Looks like the Firehawk has left her mark on Pandora.

Thrashing the Thresher

Threshers, tentacled creatures that come in many different sizes, are some of the most annoying enemies in Pandora. And if they get big enough, some of the deadliest as well. Is this one the infamous Terramorphous the Invincible? Maybe! And if it is, we’re betting his son will want to have some words with Lilith and crew after they make short work of him.