It may seem to fans that they’ve been waiting centuries for the new Highlander reboot from John Wick mastermind Chad Stahelski and starring Henry Cavill. Although the wait for the reimagined take on the beloved property isn’t over just yet, Collider has revealed a major update. According to their sources, production on Highlander will begin in Scotland in late September to early October this year. It’s an exciting, meaningful update that puts us all the more closer to a 21st century-imagining of the immortal Scottish warrior. While the film is expected to shoot on Highlander’s home turf, Stahelski previously shared that his journey will span the globe.
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The original 1986 Highlander film became a cult classic and garnered a devoted fan base. It starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, a Scottish swordsman who must battle other Immortals like him in their quest for the Prize. Given to the last remaining Immortal, the Prize contains the power of all the Immortals who ever lived. In winning the Prize, the victor receives the knowledge of all the fallen Immortals, all-encompassing knowledge, along with the ability to become mortal and have children. Cavill takes up the mantel from Lambert as MacLeod in Stahleski’s version, and the pressure is on both of them for the new Highlander to fare better than the slew of failed sequels and sipnoffs that followed the 1986 film.
Cavill Was Sold on Highlander‘s Complexity and Character Arc in Reboot
Henry Cavill is known from helming massive action and fantasy franchises, from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel to the Netflix adaptation of the video game epic The Witcher. Though lending his talents to another fan-favorite fantasy franchise could have felt like an old hat, Stahelski said it was Connor’s anguish and the reality of his immortality that sold Cavill on the part.
“My selling point was, to [Cavill], look, you’ve got a guy that’s been alive for over 500 years. He’s the last person in the world that wanted to be in this situation. So you get to cover quite a broad spread of a character arc there.” Stahelski said. “And you get to experience someone that’s trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts.”
Both Stahelski and Cavill have been attached to Highlander for years. Thus, this major update on the film’s production is a promising one, since so many films have the tendency to languish in what the industry fondly calls “development hell.” We’re even more excited to see what a Cavill and Stahelski team-up will look like; although Highlander is a passion project for the director, Stahelski has said in the past he’s not afraid to put his own spin on the lore.
“We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong, and seeing how it goes,” Stahelski hinted. “There’s big opportunity for action … and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”
It certainly seems like the Highlander reboot will not only entertain viewers with its action, but tug on our heartstrings as well. And though the anticipation is killing us, with Stahelski and Cavill on board, we have little doubt that this reboot will be well worth the wait.
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