Gearbox Creative Director Wants The Rock to Play Claptrap in the Borderlands Movie

You would be forgiven for having forgotten at this point, but there is an film adaptation of the Borderlands gaming franchise in the works at Lionsgate since at least 2015. While news of the film has been sparse, the Borderlands games have continued to release and be supported through downloadable content and spinoff titles. With the first numbered entry since 2012 set to release later this year, it’s only natural that the film should come back into the news, but now there’s one unlikely combination with it: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Speaking with VG247 ahead of Borderlands 3‘s release on September 13th, Gearbox Software creative director Paul Sage had to ruminate on who could play the movie’s Claptrap, the iconic little one-wheeled robot with arms that’s become synonymous with the series, for a moment.

“Who could play Claptrap?” Sage reportedly said when asked about who could play the character. “Our audio guys would tell you, ‘Hey, we can make anybody Claptrap!’”

Even with that declaration, Sage did go on to cast the little mechanical bucket of bolts. “I think The Rock,” he said. “Yeah, The Rock has to play Claptrap!”

Why does Sage want Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in this role? It’s unclear, and he either didn’t elaborate or VG247 chose not to include that information. At this point, the suggested casting is all we have to go on, and while it’s assumed that the film version will include its own Claptrap, no casting has actually been announced. Back in 2015, it was revealed that it would be produced by Avi Arad (The Amazing Spider-Man, Blade) and his son, Ari Arad, and that’s about the extent of the film’s confirmed information.

That said, who wouldn’t want The Rock in the film adaptation of their work? The man is practically synonymous with box office success (with some notable misses) and the Fast and the Furious franchise spinoff Hobbs & Shaw is set to release in theaters soon, which should only continue to bolster Johnson’s acting bona fides.

What do you think? Could you see The Rock as some kind of live-action Claptrap? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Borderlands 3 is scheduled to release on September 13th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Who knows when the Borderlands film will come out, if at all.