Henry Cavill in ‘Highlander’. Photo: Henry Cavill’s Instagram Account.
Preview:
Henry Cavill has posted the first look at the new ‘Highlander’ movie.
He’s playing sword-swinging immortal McLeod.
Chad Stahelski has started directing the film.
After a long development process, and plenty of casting news drops, the new take on 1986 action pic ‘Highlander’ is officially in production with Chad Stahelski directing and Henry Cavill starring as an immortal warrior who must battle others of his kind.
Cavill’s caption includes the phrase, “this has been quite the journey for me, which I’ll tell you all about when the time is right,” which might be a reference to an injury he sustained while training, which pushed the schedule of the movie back.
Henry Cavill in ‘Highlander’. Photo: Henry Cavill’s Instagram Account.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded.
We don’t exactly know what elements the new movie (written by Michael Finch) will utilize, but Stahelski has said the focus will be on modern-day New York and Hong Kong.
When will the new ‘Highlander’ be in cinemas?
(L to R) Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez and Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Amazon MGM Studios has yet to announce a release date for the movie, but a 2027 date is not out of the question given that cameras are rolling.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Highlander’ Franchise:
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Bautista about his work on ‘Trap House’, developing the project as a producer, balancing the action with the father/son story, his advice for young actor Jack Champion, fanboying over Bobby Cannavale, and his close working relationship with director Michael Dowse, as well as sword training to play The Kurgan in the upcoming remake of ‘Highlander’, and joining Jake Gyllenhaal for ‘Road House 2’.
(L to R) Dave Bautista and Bobby Cannavale in ‘Trap House’. Photo: Courtesy of AURA Entertainment.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your work on ‘Trap House’ as a producer and the challenges of getting this movie made?
Dave Bautista: I’d have to go back to how this happened. So, a buddy of mine who works for the NSA now, but he’s kind of been around law enforcement. He was in the military, he’s been a cop, he worked for the DOD, and he worked for Federal law enforcement. Now he’s at the NSA. Anyway, he came to me with this idea. He said, “Hey, I got an idea. I wanted to run by you. It’s about a bunch of DEA agents and they’re seizing drugs and money from drug dealers. These kids, they’re just looking for a wild ride, so they start robbing the money from their parents. I said, “I don’t love that. I don’t love the kid stealing from the government. What about this?” So, I came up with the idea of the kids really needing the money, not just wanting the money or wanting to be on the wild ride but needing the money to help a friend. They start robbing drug dealers that their parents were investigating, because their parents of course they’re not going to suspect their kids. But I like the idea of turning into a three-way kind of cat and mouse. So that’s originally how it started. Then I’d done a film called ‘Final Score’ with the producer who I ended up producing ‘Final Score’ with, Marc Goldberg. So that’s how I pitched the idea to him, and he said, “I love that idea. Let’s a hire writer, and let’s do it”. So, that’s how it all initially started. When I read the first draft, it was very different from what I turned it turned out to be, because I it was originally more like ‘The Fast and the Furious’. I wanted it to be kind of that meets ‘Stand by Me’. I wanted it to be an adventure for the kids who kind of get in over their heads. But I wanted there to be some innocence to it and that’s kind of how it started. It took years to get the script to where we wanted it to be, and even then, there was still a rocky road after that. This was a hard film to make.
MF: Can you talk about balancing the film’s father and son story with the action and thriller aspects of the movie?
DB: That’s what we wanted it to be. We wanted it to be about strained relationships, but we always wanted it to be told from the kids’ point of view. I didn’t want the parents to be the star of this film. I wanted the kids to be the stars of the film. I also thought, I just wanted it to be fun, because sometimes, especially I found out with wrestling, you want the bad guy to get away with it. The kids, they’re not doing the right thing. They’re not doing the best thing. They’ve gotten themselves in way over their heads. But we went through drafts where one of the kids got shot, and I was like, “No, we can’t do that.” In one draft the kids got arrested, they went to prison, I was like, “No, we can’t do that.” It’s one of those things where it is just a fun film. This is not a documentary. We just want to have fun. We want kids to have fun watching this film. We want it to be a popcorn film. We want it to be entertaining. But it’s built a bridge between a father and his son who, where their relationship is strained and they’re trying to figure out how to bond. Then that’s how they got through all this mayhem. That’s the way my character was able to express his love to his son, which his son had never noticed before. He always thought he’d put his job first but Cody really knows that he’s sacrificing everything because he loves his son so much.
(L to R) Sophia Lillis, Jack Champion, Whitney Peak and Zaire Adams in ‘Trap House’. Photo: Courtesy of AURA Entertainment.
MF: Can you talk about creating that father and son relationship onscreen with Jack Champion?
DB: It was so easy. Jack and I bonded immediately. We’re kind of from the same neck of the woods, and he was really starting to get into boxing and stuff. So, we had something to talk about and it just happened organically. We went and trained before we started filming. We worked out together and you really get to know people if you work out together. So, we bonded immediately. I also thought, he’s just such a nice, cool, humble kid, and I’ve worked with people in Hollywood who started out young and I feel like they lose a connection with people. They kind of get sheltered, they get in a bubble, and they lose interaction with people. Jack didn’t have any of that. He was just super friendly and humble, and he really wanted to learn. I thought, man, this kid he’s a leading man. He kind of looked at me like a mentor on this film and to be honest with you, I kind of loved it. So, we had good conversations and I thought, he’s going to have a future in this business. I wanted to share with him some of the stuff that I learned along the way, and just hope he’s on the right path throughout his career and treats people great. I really believe in treating your crew great. They don’t make as much money as you do, and they don’t get the spotlight that you do, but they are working twice as hard as you do. They’re there before you get there, and they’re there after you leave. I believe that. I learned that from WWE. I’ve always carried that with me, and I try to pass that on to anybody who will listen. Since Jack is young in this business and impressionable, I wanted to share that with him, that sentiment, that’s the way I look at filmmaking. That’s the way. That’s the attitude I go to work with. Be nice to people, courteous to people, respect people and then build that kind of positive environment. In the hard days, that kind of environment, it pays off because it’s not like somebody’s working harder than somebody else. We’re all working. We’re all on it together. We’re in this fight because days on films get long and they get hard. You’re missing your family and you’re not sleeping well and you’re not eating right. So, if you build that relationship with people and keep it in a real positive environment, that starts from the top all the way down, then you get a good environment which will translate into good filmmaking. Hopefully, good filmmaking. But you know at least everybody’s on the same page and we’re trying to create a quality project. Everybody’s got their heart invested in it.
MF: What was it like working with Bobby Cannavale and what did you learn from watching the way he approaches a character?
DB: I was trying not to fanboy too much. Bobby’s a quiet guy. He’s not a big talker, and I have a thousand of questions to pick his brain about, especially his stage work. He’s a real guy’s guy. He’s super into sports and he’s super handsome, which is obnoxious. He’s a New Yorker, too, so he’s just a little rough around the edges. But he’s quiet and he’s to himself. He’s super low maintenance, doesn’t have an entourage with him, and he reads a lot. But I picked my spots and just kind of picked his brain about acting and stuff. I was such a big fan of his because I thought his portrayal of his character on ‘Boardwalk Empire’ was just so fearless. I just loved it so much, and so I wanted to pick his brain about that, but also about stage work because I aspire to do stage work. But I my relationship with him, it all built from a foundation of respect for what he’s done and the person he is, because he’s just a good solid dude, and super talented.
(L to R) Dave Bautista and Bobby Cannavale in ‘Trap House’. Photo: Courtesy of AURA Entertainment.
MF: I know that you have worked with director Michael Dowse in the past, what was it like reuniting with him on this film and what do you enjoy about the way he directs?
DB: We have a relationship. Michael and I go way back. We did a film called ‘Stuber’ together, which I’ve got a chip on my shoulder because I I’ve always felt like that film was super underrated. We just got smashed in the box office. I think people weren’t sure what the film was. It’s just my opinion, but I don’t think I was a big enough name to carry the film, but I still think it’s just a great film. It’s a fun film. We were also boxed between massive films like ‘Toy Story 4’, ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’. So, we just got smashed. But Mike saved us on this film because Mike stepped in last minute. We had a director and he dropped out weeks before we were supposed to start filming. So, I called Mike and I said, “Hey, we’re just in a jam.” He just jumped on it. Mike’s the type of guy who just knows what he wants. Again, he’s good to people and always has a good energy, but he’s just good at relaying what he wants. He makes things simple. He’s clearly the boss when he’s on set, he just has a vision. You never guess, who’s the boss? You’re never looking around, trying to figure it out. Like, who should I go to? Mike is the boss when he’s on set. So, people have a lot of respect for him, and I do as well. So, at that point, because we were behind and without a leader, we needed a leader and Mike stepped in and really kind of saved us. So, I always love him, and will be grateful for him for that, and other things as well, but most mostly that.
MF: What can you tell us about preparing for your upcoming role as The Kurgan in the remake of ‘Highlander’? Have you started sword training yet?
DB: I’ve been sword training for just about three months. It’s tough. This film is not going to be anything anybody’s seen before. I think this script is amazing. I don’t often get like super excited about scripts. I usually read scripts and then I start to think, how can we fix this? How can we make this better? There’s something there, but how can we elevate it? Not with this one. When I read it, I just got it. It was great. The characters were elevated, and there’s a lot of nods to the original, but it is very different. Also, the action on this is going to be ridiculous. I mean, it’s ‘John Wick’ amplified because it’s just never been done. Obviously, there’s going to be swords. I don’t think that’s going to a spoiler alert. There’s going to be swords, but it’s a lot of very stylized sword fighting. I mean, Chad (Stahelski) has been thinking about this for a very long time. Our ten-to-fifteen-minute meetings turn into two-hour conversations because I think he’s been obsessing over this film for years now. So, I think people are going to be really excited about this. I hope they are. I can’t wait for people to see the first trailer because I’ve seen mockups and I get goosebumps. I’m a fan of the original, and not every film should be remade, but this one had such a great and interesting premise. At the time, I don’t think it smashed box office records, but it’s got a bit of a cult following. But I want more people to be familiar with it and I’m sure this new film is going to be a box office smash, but I hope that it will bring attention to the original because I’m a massive fan of it and Clancy Brown. I got big shoes to fill, and I will be honest and say that I’m super nervous about it. I’m a little self-conscious because Clancy was in his 20’s when he played The Kurgan, and I’m over here in my 50s trying to fill his shoes. Those are big shoes to fill. So hopefully I do it justice, but I can say that it won’t be from lack of hard work because I’ve been working my butt off. I’ve been pursuing the role of The Kurgan for probably ten plus years, and so it is the dream role.
(Left) Dave Bautista stars in ‘In the Lost Lands’. (Right) Clancy Brown as The Kurgan in ‘Highlander’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
MF: Finally, what has it been like joining ‘Road House 2’ and working with Jake Gyllenhaal?
DB: It’s great. This is a dream. I always tell people, I kind of measure my career by who I’m working with. I’ve been a fan of Jake’s for a very long time, and I told him that years ago because we had a mutual friend and he stuck us together on a FaceTime call. I was like, “Man, I’m a huge fan. I went, long before ‘Road House’ was even a conversation, to see him in ‘Othello’ on Broadway with Denzel Washington. I went back and talked to him, and he just blows me away. He’s a real actor. He’s the real deal. So, to think that I can say that I I’m working with him, if not to anyone else, it says to me something personally about where my career’s at, and it means a lot to me. I’ve never been an accolades guy, but when I can get respect from my peers and peers that I hold on to a pedestal, that means more to me. Plus, he’s a good dude. He’s just a great guy. He’s super down to earth, funny and smart, and just super talented. We’re having in depth conversations about things we’re doing in scenes, looks, mannerisms, backstories, and that’s what I love about acting.
‘Trap House’ opens in theaters on November 14th.
What is the plot of ‘Trap House’?
In El Paso, Texas, an undercover DEA agent (Dave Bautista) and his partner embark on a game of cat and mouse with their own teenage children, who are using their parents’ tactics and intel to rob a dangerous cartel.
Though the cameras may not have started rolling last month as originally planned thanks to star Henry Cavill injuring himself during training, the ‘Highlander’ reboot is still moving forward, aiming to begin production early next year.
(L to R) Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod and Clancy Brown as The Kurgan in ‘Highlander’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded.
The power of the slain immortal is absorbed into the victor, and they are all competing for “The Prize” –– enough power to rule Earth forever. Connor’s biggest threat is the Kurgan, a murderous brute of an immortal who wants that power for himself and Connor must face him at an event known as The Gathering.
There can, as the tagline famously reads, only be one.
Stahelski on the story for the new movie
Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Here’s what Stahelski had to say about the plot and changes:
“We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There’s big opportunity for action… and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”
Finch’s script is the most recent draft, and it is taking some diversions from the original as it builds out a more complex and deeper world.
Cavill is MacLeod, with Crowe as a version of Ramirez. Bautista is playing the Kurgan, the movie’s top villain, while Gillan is MacLeod’s Scottish and very mortal wife. Djimon Hounsou is an immortal warrior from Africa, while Abela is MacLeod’s modern romantic interest. Max Zhang and Drew McIntyre are also in the cast, with McIntyre taking the role of Cavill’s brother.
Irons will be the movie’s other antagonist, the leader of a secret order called The Watchers, who are keeping an eye on the immortals and see them as a threat to humanity.
When will the new ‘Highlander’ be on screens?
Amazon MGM Studios has yet to confirm a release date for the movie, and it may yet appear later given the production delay.
(L to R) Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez and Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Highlander’ Franchise:
(L to R) Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod and Clancy Brown as The Kurgan in ‘Highlander’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded.
The power of the slain immortal is absorbed into the victor, and they are all competing for “The Prize” –– enough power to rule Earth forever. Connor’s biggest threat is the Kurgan, a murderous brute of an immortal who wants that power for himself and Connor must face him at an event known as The Gathering.
There can, as the tagline famously reads, only be one.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the first film is considered a cult classic, dividing audiences into those who love it and those who think it’s so bad it’s great. The movie is famous for its sword fights and its Queen-composed soundtrack.
Stahelski on his plans
Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Here’s what Stahelski had to say about his ideas:
“ ‘Highlander,’ I’ll tell you, if we get our s**t together and pull off a feature, we have ideas for days about the coolest characters and how to make that an epic TV show. I just think that’s a rich, rich mythology. Our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that. But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows, and we’re trying to do a bit of a prequel, a setup to The Gathering, so we have room to grow the property.”
As for the story:
“We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There’s big opportunity for action… and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”
(L to R) Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod and Clancy Brown as The Kurgan in ‘Highlander’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded.
The power of the slain immortal is absorbed into the victor, and they are all competing for “The Prize” –– enough power to rule Earth forever. Connor’s biggest threat is the Kurgan, a murderous brute of an immortal who wants that power for himself and Connor must face him at an event known as The Gathering.
There can, as the tagline famously reads, only be one.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the first film is considered a cult classic, dividing audiences into those who love it and those who think it’s so bad it’s great. The movie is famous for its sword fights and its Queen-composed soundtrack.
Stahelski on his plans
Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Here’s what Stahelski had to say about his ideas:
“ ‘Highlander,’ I’ll tell you, if we get our s**t together and pull off a feature, we have ideas for days about the coolest characters and how to make that an epic TV show. I just think that’s a rich, rich mythology. Our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that. But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows, and we’re trying to do a bit of a prequel, a setup to The Gathering, so we have room to grow the property.”
As for the story:
“We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There’s big opportunity for action… and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”
Deadline’s report also makes mention that Bautista will also be joining the cast of the sequel to Amazon MGM’s ‘Road House ’, for which we previously reported he was in talks.
(Left) Marisa Abela on HBO’s ‘Industry.’ Photograph by Nick Strasberg/HBO. (Right) Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Preview:
Marisa Abela is the latest recruit for the ‘Highlander’ reboot.
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded.
The power of the slain immortal is absorbed into the victor, and they are all competing for “The Prize” –– enough power to rule Earth forever. Connor’s biggest threat is the Kurgan (Clancy Brown), a murderous brute of an immortal who wants that power for himself and Connor must face him at an event known as The Gathering.
There can, as the tagline famously reads, only be one.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the first film is considered a cult classic, dividing audiences into those who love it and those who think it’s so bad it’s great. The movie is famous for its sword fights and its Queen-composed soundtrack.
It spawned several sequels (including the much-maligned ‘Highlander II: The Quickening’, which attempted to introduce the idea that the immortals are aliens), various spin-off TV series plus comics, video games and a host of other merchandise.
While Stahelski clearly loves the original, he’s not above pointing out its flaws:
“There’s not a lot that happens in the second act, It’s mostly about bitchin’ flashbacks with Sean Connery mugging the camera. You watch the movie, and it has no business being good or cool or interesting, but for whatever reason — the fisheye lenses, weird sword fights, f****d up dialogue, and the Queen soundtrack make it one of the funnest movies you’ll ever watch.”
Stahelski on his plans
Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Here’s what Stahelski had to say about his ideas:
“ ‘Highlander,’ I’ll tell you, if we get our s**t together and pull off a feature, we have ideas for days about the coolest characters and how to make that an epic TV show. I just think that’s a rich, rich mythology. Our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that. But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows, and we’re trying to do a bit of a prequel, a setup to The Gathering, so we have room to grow the property.”
As for the story:
“We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There’s big opportunity for action… and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”
And how he pitched it to his leading man, per Collider:
“My selling point to [Henry] was, 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… and you get to experience someone that’s trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts.”
Finch’s script is the most recent draft, and via THR, it is taking some diversions from the original as it builds out a more complex and deeper world. According to sources, the feature seems to be populated by more immortals who also happen to be from various parts of the world.
Who are the new recruits playing in the ‘Highlander’ re-imagining?
(L to R) Aaron Taylor Johnson and Russell Crowe in Columbia Pictures and Marvel ‘Kraven the Hunter’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
According to current reports, Crowe will be a take on the “Spaniard” Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez, as brought to life by Connery (with zero hint of a Spanish accent!)
So Crowe could be showing up as a veteran immortal warrior who helps Cavill’s character achieve his destiny.
As for Abela, she apparently has one of the other lead roles, a new characters for the story, an immortal who is a teacher of swordplay and one of MacLeod’s past loves.
Despite Amazon MGM’s clear enthusiasm for the movie, it is not yet at a point where the company can set a release date, but ‘Highlander’ is apparently destined for theaters rather than direct to streaming.
(L to R) Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez and Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Highlander’ Franchise:
(Left) Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s ‘The Witcher.’ Photo: Jay Maidment. (Right) Russell Crowe as “Roy Freeman” in the Action/Crime/Thriller film ‘Sleeping Dogs,’ a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Preview:
Russell Crowe is joining the ‘Highlander’ reboot.
Henry Cavill is starring in the movie.
‘John Wick’ veteran Chad Stahelski is in the director’s chair.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard much of an update about director Chad Stahelski’s plan to reboot the ‘Highlander’ action franchise, and that’s partly because of the actors’ and writers’ strikes in 2023 and the fault of a certain other well-known action character, John Wick (of which Stahelski is the main director and franchise overseer).
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Yet there is some forward movement now on the film that will star Henry Cavill as an immortal warrior facing off against his fellow fighters, as Collider brings word that Russell Crowe is now aboard the film in an unspecified role.
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded.
The power of the slain immortal is absorbed into the victor, and they are all competing for “The Prize” –– enough power to rule Earth forever. Connor’s biggest threat is the Kurgan (Clancy Brown), a murderous brute of an immortal who wants that power for himself and Connor must face him at an event known as The Gathering.
There can, as the tagline famously reads, only be one.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the first film is considered a cult classic, dividing audiences into those who love it and those who think it’s so bad it’s great. The movie is famous for its sword fights and its Queen-composed soundtrack.
It spawned several sequels (including the much-maligned ‘Highlander II: The Quickening’, which attempted to introduce the idea that the immortals are aliens), various spin-off TV series plus comics, video games and a host of other merchandise.
While Stahelski clearly loves the original, he’s not above pointing out its flaws:
“There’s not a lot that happens in the second act, It’s mostly about bitchin’ flashbacks with Sean Connery mugging the camera. You watch the movie, and it has no business being good or cool or interesting, but for whatever reason — the fisheye lenses, weird sword fights, f****d up dialogue, and the Queen soundtrack make it one of the funnest movies you’ll ever watch.”
Stahelski on his plans
Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Here’s what Stahelski had to say about his ideas:
“ ‘Highlander,’ I’ll tell you, if we get our s**t together and pull off a feature, we have ideas for days about the coolest characters and how to make that an epic TV show. I just think that’s a rich, rich mythology. Our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that. But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows, and we’re trying to do a bit of a prequel, a setup to The Gathering, so we have room to grow the property.”
As for the story:
“We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There’s big opportunity for action… and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”
And how he pitched it to his leading man, per Collider:
“My selling point to [Henry] was, 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… and you get to experience someone that’s trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts.”
Who could Russell Crowe play in the new ‘Highlander’?
Russell Crowe in ‘Gladiator’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
It’s anyone’s guess at this point as to how Crowe will fit into the story, but there are options.
He could, for example, be playing a version of the Kurgan, and we could see Crowe doing something fun and intense with the concept of an immortal psychopath who has, in the Brown version, gone on to be one of the most memorable screen baddies.
And then there is famed “Spaniard” Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez, as brought to life by Connery. Could Crowe be showing up as a veteran immortal warrior who helps Cavill’s character achieve his destiny?
Finally, given the changes that Stahelski is planning, he could be an all-new character. We’re still guessing he could unleash hell! Wait, no, wrong franchise…
When will the ‘Highlander’ reboot be on screens?
Despite Amazon MGM’s clear enthusiasm for the movie, it is not yet at a point where the company can set a release date.
Crowe’s attachment means this one is clearly gearing up, so stay tuned for more news. Who wants to live forever?
(L to R) Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez and Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Highlander’ Franchise:
(L to R) Director Chad Stahelski and Bill Skarsgård as Marquis in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’. Photo Credit: Murray Close.
Preview:
‘John Wick’s Chad Stahelski is aboard to produce ‘The Professionals.’
Stuntman–turned–writer Madison Turner crafted the latest draft of the script.
It’ll follow hired killers who must figure out why they themselves are targets for murder.
If you’re a hired killer in a movie, chances are you’ll either A) try to retire, only for your past to catch up with you, B) discover a terrible conspiracy at the heart of your organization or government and have to go against your own, or C) somehow become a target yourself when you’re double-crossed somehow.
From the sounds of it, the script for ‘The Professionals’ will go the third route, but in a new way.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate has nabbed the rights to the screenplay, which is being described as ‘Clue’ meets ‘John Wick.’ And the latter title is particularly telling, as ‘Wick’ maestro Chad Stahelski has agreed to produce the movie via his 87Eleven company.
(L to R) Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves speak onstage at Comic-Con at San Diego Convention Center on July 22, 2022 in San Diego, California. Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
‘The Professionals’ –– nothing to do with the 1970s/1980s cop show from the UK (though like ‘The Avengers,’ it could eventually undergo a title shift if it makes it over there) –– follows a group of contract killers stranded in an English countryside estate when one of them is murdered and the remaining group has to solve the death.
The script originated with Hunter Perot, the grandson of late business executive and presidential candidate Ross Perot, and it has now in the hands of Madison Turner, a stuntman–turned–scribe who is the son of Tierre Turner, a stunt performer and coordinator with credits on movies such as ‘Training Day’ and is currently on TV series ‘9-1-1.’
On the writing front, Turner scripted ‘Adam,’ an action vehicle for Anthony Mackie set up at Netflix. And he previously landed his Blacklist script ‘The Liberators’ at Warner Bros. with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society and Safehouse Pictures attached to produce.
Will Chad Stahelski direct ‘The Professionals’?
(L to R) Director Chad Stahelski, Laurence Fishburne as Bowery King, and Keanu Reeves as John Wick in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.
Though he’s clearly passionate about the script, Stahelski may not have time on his schedule to actually direct it. And he’s always been about giving others their chance to handle movies.
Right now, he’s gearing up to shoot the remake of ‘Highlander’ with Henry Cavill starring, and while nothing has been formally confirmed (besides Lionsgate mentioning it), he’s developing a fifth ‘John Wick’ outing.
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The ‘Wick’ world also takes up some of Stahelski’s producing time, since he’s the overseer of the franchise as a whole. Next up is the Ana de Armas–starring spin-off ‘Ballerina,’ directed by Len Wiseman and due in theaters on June 6th next year.
When would ‘The Professionals’ be on screen?
With no director in place, no casting and no shoot date, consider this one still in development limbo until cameras are rolling. If it casts up quickly and shoots soon, it could be with us before the end of 2025.
(L-R) Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves attend the Lionsgate CinemaCon presentation in support of ‘John Wick: Chapter Four’ at the Colosseum Theatre in Caesar’s Palace on April 28th, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
But then it all seemed as though the “Snyderverse” was struck with a lump of Kryptonite and the films began to stumble.
There was a glimmer of hope for Cavill around the time of ‘Black Adam’s release, when he popped up in a cameo as Supes, hinting at a clash between Dwayne Johnson’s Adam and the last son of Krypton, but the effective closure of that era of the DC movie universe (replaced by James Gunn’s vision, which has David Corenswet starring as another new take on the Superman character), scuttled that.
It was doubly tough for Cavill, who had been given the go-ahead to tease more from his version and had quit successful Netflix fantasy show ‘The Witcher’ to focus on his big screen career.
Now, though, there are refreshed rumors that he might end up in that other big bastion of the superhero genre, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Speculation has swirled for a while that Cavill might end up making the leap to Marvel, but nothing concrete has landed so far.
He’s been linked to roles such as Captain Britain (as the name suggests, a UK take on Captain America), which we could see introduced ahead of the next Avengers team up.
The current word comes from scooper MyTimeToShineHello on Twitter, who has shot down the Doom talk but points to Cavill accepting another role.
As always, we’ll have to wait and see whether this becomes anything more than talk.
What else is Henry Cavill working on?
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s ‘The Witcher.’ Photo: Jay Maidment.
Avowed nerd Cavill has been driving development of a live-action Warhammer 40,000 series set within the sci-fi/fantasy tabletop universe of armored warriors battling creatures at Amazon’s Prime Video service.
While that bubbles away in the background, he appeared in Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy thriller ‘Argylle’, which though it saw him have limited screen time, has hints at the end that we might see more of his character. The box office disappointment of the movie ($77 million worldwide so far from a reported $200 million budget), even with backers Apple’s deep pockets, would seem to preclude that for now, but we’ll wait and see on that front.
More promisingly, he’s leading the cast of Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ (due in theaters on April 19th) and his tongue-out moment in the trailer is already generating memes.
And beyond that, he may well pick up a sword again if/when Chad Stahelski’s planned remake of ‘Highlander’ starts shooting.
So even if Cavill doesn’t end up joining the MCU, he does at least have plenty to keep him occupied.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ opens in theaters on April 19th. Photo Credit: Daniel Smith.
(Left) Chad Stahelski at the Lionsgate CinemaCon presentation in support of ‘John Wick: Chapter Four’ at the Colosseum Theatre in Caesar’s Palace on April 28th, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Eric Charbonneau. (Right) Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The idea of rebooting 1986’s ‘Highlander’ is not a new one. It has been bubbling away on Hollywood’s development burner for a few years now, going through the usual litany of directors, writers and potential cast on its difficult journey to screens.
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded. The power of the slain immortal is absorbed into the victor, and they are all competing for “The Prize” –– enough power to rule Earth forever. Connor’s biggest threat is the Kurgan (Clancy Brown), a murderous brute of an immortal who wants that power for himself and Connor must face him at an event known as The Gathering.
“There can,” as the tagline famously reads, “be only one.”
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the first film is considered a cult classic, dividing audiences into those who love it and those who think it’s so bad it’s great. The movie is famous for its sword fights and its Queen-composed soundtrack.
It spawned several sequels and even a spin-off TV series.
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Stahelski on his plans
(L to R) Director Chad Stahelski and Bill Skarsgård as Marquis in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.
Here’s what Stahelski had to say:
“‘Highlander,’ I’ll tell you, if we get our shit together and pull off a feature, we have ideas for days about the coolest characters and how to make that an epic TV show. I just think that’s a rich, rich mythology. Our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that. But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows, and we’re trying to do a bit of a prequel, a setup to The Gathering, so we have room to grow the property.”
Yet he adds that he’ll have to be careful:
“The trick is when you have the tagline ‘there can only be one,’ you can’t just kill everybody the first time.”
(L to R) Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez and Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
While he loves the original, he’s not above pointing out its flaws…
“There’s not a lot that happens in the second act, It’s mostly about bitchin’ flashbacks with Sean Connery mugging the camera. You watch the movie, and it has no business being good or cool or interesting, but for whatever reason — the fisheye lenses, weird sword fights, fucked up dialogue, and the Queen soundtrack make it one of the funnest movies you’ll ever watch.”
There has been little progress of late on the movie, primarily because of the combined writers and actors’ strike. But once smarter decisions have been made by the studios and the matter is resolved, Stahelski and Cavill will be ready to dive back into that world.
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s ‘The Witcher.’ Photo: Jay Maidment.
Other Movies and TV Specials Similar to ‘Highlander:’
