Henry Cavill’s ‘Highlander’ Reboot Is Still in the Works

Henry Cavill may be out as the Witcher and Superman, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone from our hearts. It seems he has several projects in the works right now, including a Warhammer 40k series and a reboot of Highlander. However, until the Hollywood studios stop hoarding wealth and commit to paying writers and actors what they’re worth, it may be a while before we see anything new. Once projects resume, hopefully Cavill’s movies will be a priority.

One of Cavill’s most talked about projects is a reboot of the 1980s cult classic Highlander. For those of us ancient enough to remember Highlander, the franchise was hot throughout the ’80s and ’90s. The legendary band Queen even did the soundtrack for the first film. In total, the Highlander franchise boasted six movies and three television shows. It’s a lot of stories and sword fighting for a series whose most famous line is “There can be only one.” Now Cavill will be the one to play the titular Highlander.

When will the new Highlander hit the big screen?

Plans for a Highlander reboot have been in the works for close to 10 years. Since 2021, the project has been picking up more steam by adding writers, a director, and a star. By our most optimistic estimation, we won’t see the new Highlander film for a couple of years.

Who is the creative team behind Highlander?

One of the three writers tied to the script, Ryan J. Condal, wrote and produced HBO’s House of the Dragon. Chad Stahelski, known for co-directing the first John Wick and directing all three of its sequels, is directing Highlander.

What is the plot of Highlander?

The current plotline of the movie on IMDb reads, “An immortal Scottish swordsman faces off with other immortal warriors in order to obtain a coveted ability.” It has not been confirmed that Cavill will play the original Highlander, Connor MacLeod, who hails from the Scottish Highlanders (hence the title) in the 1500s. During a battle, MacLeod discovered that he couldn’t die. Then, a similar immortal showed up in Scotland and trained MacLeod in the ways of their kind. In the 1980s/present day, MacLeod prepares for The Gathering, a time when immortals are summoned together to battle the others. When an immortal kills another one, they absorb their power.

In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Stahelski said: “I’ll say it for you first, 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.” The Highlander television show focused on Duncan MacLeod, an immortal member of the same clan born long after the original Highlander. The television series also fleshed out a lot of different characters and timelines.

Who is in Highlander?

Since everything is currently on hold, the only actor currently linked to the project is Cavill as a Highlander. He may not be Connor or Duncan, but that man needs to be a MacLeod and he needs to be in a kilt. The fate of the world depends on it. There are a few more key characters who will need to be cast, including the bad guy Kurgan and the wise advisor Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez. Whoever plays the Kurgan will have large shoes to fill as character actor Clancy Brown originally played the role. Hopefully, if Ramírez/Tak-Ne pops up again, an actual Egyptian actor will play the character—rather than someone like Sean Connery in eyeliner. But I’m crossing my fingers that they recreate the character’s amazing cloak made of peacock feathers.

(featured image: Netflix)