Highlander Reboot: Everything We Know So Far

The history of the "Highlander" reboot seems to have lasted as long as the warriors that inhabit this cult classic franchise. Directors, stars, and screenwriters have come and gone for well over a decade, all in the hope of obtaining the prize that is reigniting the spark of the original film. Released in 1986 and starring Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and perhaps one of the best movie soundtracks to ever blast through a cinema screen, "Highlander" follows a titular Scotsman who discovers that he belongs to a small group of immortals who are drawn to combat one another in sword fights to the death. The only way to defeat his opponents is by lopping off their heads, which proves to be difficult when one long time adversary known as The Kurgan (Clancy Brown) is dedicated to taking his.

Almost 40 years after the original film, the blades are being drawn again to bring back the magic with an established star to take on the lead role. What's even more reassuring is that this new take on the character is being handled by a director whose history in action has provided some of the most influential and impactful contributions to the genre in the last two decades. So, who is the new Highlander, and which other creative forces will be at play to ensure heads roll just the right way? In the case of the sword-swinging Scotsman, they've looked to a former Witcher and Man of Steel to breathe new life into a man that can't die.

Various attempts were made to bring a new Highlander back into theaters as far back as 2008, and a handful of names were thrown in, ranging from Ryan Reynolds to "Grey's Anatomy" star Kevin McKidd (who, honestly, may have been the best choice given that he's actually Scottish). In the end, though, Henry Cavill got the call back in 2021 to take on the role of Connor MacLeod and has been waiting on the line ever since.

As far as casting picks go, it's certainly a sensible one. Cavill has already proven during his time as Geralt in "The Witcher" series that he could certainly handle swinging a sword at someone in a duel to the death, and the man himself has even hinted that it'll be an immense upgrade from what we've already seen him deliver on the Netflix series.

While appearing at CinemaCon back in 2024, Cavill teased audiences about what was in store for the film. "I am a lover of the original movies, for better or worse," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's one of those things where reading the script, I wasn't quite sure where they were going to go." When it came to talking about how he would handle MacLeod's weapon of choice in the film, Cavill hinted, "If you think you've seen me do sword work before, you haven't seen anything yet." A bold claim indeed, but then considering the director at the helm of this project, we wouldn't expect anything less.

When you're telling a story about warriors that have mastered the art of close combat over centuries and can only die by decapitation, it makes sense to appoint a filmmaker that has made an art form out of filming people beating the snot out of one another. What's impressive is that the director has managed to stick with it for as long as he has. Back in 2016, the mastermind behind the "John Wick" movies, Chad Stahelski, was hired to direct the new film and has stuck with it ever since. What drew him to this world was also the pitch he made to his leading man.

Speaking to The Direct, Stahelski explained, "My selling point was, to [Henry 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. And you get to experience someone that's trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts." That's a lot to unpack in one film, and for that task, "Highlander" has been appointed to writer Michael Finch, one of the writers behind "John Wick: Chapter 4," another story involving a nearly immortal warrior. But by taking on the legacy of such a beloved franchise that spawned five films and a TV show, will the new "Highlander" be linked to the old one in any way, or will things simply go back to the beginning?

Love it or hate it, the "Highlander" universe is a rich one that went as far as 2007 with "Highlander: The Source." Admittedly, with every chapter in the franchise has been an inconsistent one across both its television shows and films, taking a nosedive as early as the second film, "Highlander II: The Quickening," when it was revealed that the immortals were actually aliens from another planet (don't ask). It's a lot more reassuring then, to know that Stahelski's film will be rewriting the legend of the Highlander and show just what kind of lessons the character learned during his travels into present day.

In his further comments regarding his take on the world, Stahelski told The Direct where in time we'll meet Cavill's MacLeod and what that could mean for the inevitable throwdowns his Highlander will have in the film. "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. There's big opportunity for action," the director explained. What should be exciting for "John Wick" fans is that the brains behind the Baba Yaga will be looking to implement a lot of the lessons he learned from that universe into this one. "There's a chance to play a character that not a lot of people get to play. And it's a bit of a love story, but not how you think. On 'John Wick,' I learned a lot on how to bend the storytelling a little ... another kind of myth."

And speaking of connections to the original, Stahelski confirmed to The Wrap that the movie will "absolutely" use some of the Queen music that was featured in the original film, although "probably in a different way than you think."

While it's great to hear both the star and the director of the new "Highlander" showing immense enthusiasm in bringing their take on the story to the screen, one issue that can't be ignored is just how long it's taking to get there. Stahelski might as well have gotten lost in the Scottish highlands considering how long he's been with the project, with principal photography finally set to start sometime this year. Understandably though, for a character who has lived for 500 years, there's a lot to unpack, and while it's a frustrating wait, it's reassuring that the "John Wick" director wants to take his time with the immortals.

"I've worked on Highlander for years now, for Henry Cavill. Being retroactive is hard." Stahelski told Deadline back in 2023. "If I were to do a remake of 'Highlander' right now, you'd expect a lot of mythology in those first two hours; you couldn't explore stuff without it." What's interesting is that he isn't opposed to stretching the idea beyond a feature film. "Now, Highlander as a TV show now would be amazing. You'd have time to build it out, see all those flashbacks and the potential of it. It's trickier when you're trying to do something with that big of a mythology. But I agree, that would be one to take a really big stab at." Let's hope he hits his target and Cavill's Scottish accent is as good as his swordsmanship whenever the "Highlander" finally arrives.