Had all gone according to plan, director Chad Stahelski’s reboot of “Highlander” would’ve already slashed its way through multiplexes all over the world. Alas, production was delayed when star Henry Cavill severely injured his leg, thus pushing the production start date to 2026. This was a big blow, considering the movie’s mammoth $100 million-plus budget. Amazon MGM Studios is already taking a huge risk by gambling that a revamp of this niche franchise will find a much wider audience via the dynamic direction of “John Wick” maestro Stahelski. The last thing this project needed was an unplanned pause in shooting.
I’m still not sure there’s much of an appetite for a film centered on sword-wielding immortals who engage in duels over the centuries, but I’ve enjoyed, if not outright loved, every film Stahelski has directed, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m also encouraged by the cast he and his crew have assembled around Cavill: Russell Crowe (as Ramirez, portrayed by Sean Connery in the original “Highlander”), Dave Bautista (as The Kurgan, initially brought to badass life by Clancy Brown), Karen Gillan, and Marisa Abela (who swiped multiple scenes from two of the best actors on the planet in Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag”).
“Highlander” just barely started shooting, so we probably won’t be seeing a teaser anytime soon. Nevertheless, Cavill was kind enough to share a couple of production stills from the film’s set on social media (see below), and Stahelski’s movie looks like, well, a “John Wick” flick. This is not necessarily a bad thing, either.
Henry Cavill prefaced the images reveal by writing, “Happy First Look for ‘Highlander!’ This has been quite the journey for me, which I’ll tell you all about when the time is right, but it’s a special moment to be able to share this. I hope you enjoy.”
The first picture finds Cavill standing in what appears to be a candle-lit temple. He’s wearing a full-length coat and is without a sword. In the second photo, though, the actor strikes a more action-ready pose in a dimly-lit church. Most notably, he’s brandishing a katana, a weapon favored by Adrian Paul’s MacLeod in the “Highlander” television series. Will Stahelski’s film eschew the use of the classic Scottish longsword brandished by Christopher Lambert’s original version of MacLeod? I doubt it. With that gargantuan nine-figure budget, the last thing you want to do is tick off the “Highlander” fanbase.
There’s no word yet on when Amazon MGM Studios will release Stahelski’s “Highlander,” but 2027 seems most likely. I’m rooting for Cavill, who was a fine Superman, to finally get a franchise to call his own. Hopefully, there will be more than one.