Here’s the breakdown of the latest news in nerd culture: 

Kevin Hart Cast in the Upcoming Borderlands Film

Actor and comedian Kevin Hart was recently announced to star alongside Cate Blanchett in the upcoming film adaptation of the wildly popular Borderlands video game. Hart is set to play Roland, the original game’s soldier class whose strengths focused on shotguns and combat rifles and had the ability to deploy a turret that automatically fired at enemies. Blanchett has already been announced to be cast as Lilith, the Siren. 

The film is being directed by Eli Roth and written by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. Hart is primarily known for roles that are hyper or talkative, so fans have been showing concern regarding whether or not he’ll be a good fit for Roland since he’s a more quiet and serious character.

Harry Potter TV Series Coming to HBO Max

A Harry Potter live-action series is in early development at HBO Max. There are currently no writers or actors attached to the project as of yet, and there are no other details that have been announced. There is no telling if the series will follow Harry, Ron, and Hermione or if it will take place at a different point in time within the Wizarding World similar to the Fantastic Beasts films, but it is said that Warner Bros. wants to prioritize expanding on this world. 

Given how big the Wizarding World seems to be, and how little we actually get to see outside of Hogwarts, it may be wise to continue expanding on the lore with something new. 

Funko Holds Their First-Ever Funko Fair

The collectible toy company Funko has rang in the new year with their first ever Funko Fair. The two-week virtual event introduced new products for 2021 across Vinyl, SODA, Funko Games, Paka Paka, and Loungefly. The fair, showcasing tons of exciting collectibles to be released throughout the year, kicked off January 19th. 

Some of the collectibles revealed during the event so far include POP! figures of brands including Godzilla vs. Kong, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and Happy Days; pin sets of G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Avatar: the Last Airbender; key chains of The Umbrella Academy, and countless others. You can see everything revealed on Funko’s social media pages.

That wraps up this round of Nerdy News. Make sure to check back at nonstopnerd.com for more on all things nerdy!