The Highlander cannot die! After originally being set up at Lionsgate as a potential new universe of movies from the director of the “John Wick” series, director Chad Stahelski’s remake of the 1980s cult film “Highlander” is changing sides. Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists, as led by former Netflix film chief Scott Stuber, are in final negotiations to secure the rights to remake a new version of “Highlander,” again with the aim to release the film in theaters.
Instead of yet another new take on it, Stahelski is still attached to direct, and “Man of Steel” star Henry Cavill is still attached to star (looks like all of that sword training he told CinemaCon crowds he was doing won’t go to waste). Michael Finch (“John Wick: Chapter 4”) is writing the screenplay. United Artists too still has hopes that the film could be developed into a larger new series.
“Highlander” is a fantasy epic about an immortal Scottish swordsman from the 16th century who now must fight his final battle with another immortal warrior in the modern day, a murderous barbarian chasing the “prize.” The film was directed by Russell Mulcahy, starred Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, and spawned some sequels and a TV series after growing in popularity since its initial release. While never a critic’s darling, the original especially has become a cult hit from ’80s action nerds.
Stahelski likely counts himself among them, as he’s been developing a reboot as far back as 2016. UA’s Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt will produce alongside Neal H. Moritz (“Fast & Furious” franchise), and 87Eleven Entertainment, Stahelski’s production banner. Cavill is also starring in an adaptation of the anime series “Voltron” for director Rawson Marshall Thurber at Amazon, and he’s developing the “Warhammer 40,000” franchise across Amazon MGM Studios as well.
Fans will be eager to see him back in the sword play mode after he left “The Witcher.” While Stuber still has some projects awaiting release at Netflix such as Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and at 20th Century Studios the Bruce Springsteen biopic “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” he’s kicked off the relaunched United Artists with “Kill Your Darlings” starring Julia Roberts, and another film from Edward Berger based on the forthcoming memoir from Evan Gershkovich about his time being imprisoned in Russia for over a year.
Henry Cavill has made a return, and this time with Amazon MGM's remake of Highlander. Cavill fans are clutching their hearts in enthusiasm, while those who are not in the mood to watch another classic reboot gave the signature eye-rolls. It looks like Superman had had enough of throwing lasers at his enemies and swapped roles with a historical main character.
Henry Cavill has previously featured as Geralt of Rivia and emerged as the globally beloved sword enthusiast in The Witcher—now he is all set to step up his game with Highlander. Fans? They are cooking a complicated cocktail of hype and hesitation. A netizen @ValorComicsGN commented, "Nah. Leave the classic alone." For the uninitiated, Highlander is a highly acclaimed series that featured heavy sword-slinging, time-hopping fantasy.
The original had a crisp 80's vibe and featured Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. Internet pokes fun as Amazon MGM is set to remake Highlander, ft. Henry Cavill. Netizens reacted with a mix of emotions, some uttered out a disapproving 'who asked for this?' while others cheered behind the screen.
Another section of fans, of course, engaged in hooting the loudest for the Superman star. A netizen @gp_muro expressed, “If there was a guy to do well with Highlander…Cavill is that guy. But what about Sean Connery replacement?” Another social media user @alhumaiem commented, "Are producers running out of new ideas? Almost every new movie is a remake." This X user @4O4Gaming wrote, “Can we just crowdfund Henry his own film company?”
The man in question, Henry Cavill, has been great with shooting lasers as Superman now, in the latest addition to the Cavillverse, he'll be back with the sword. This X user @damiebi10 posted, “Cavill is great at stunt work with swords. This is going to be PEAK.” Another X commenter, @Daeladras, expressed his demand for a Queen soundtrack “Queen soundtrack or we riot.” One last by @LiamF12784 before we sign off, "Why would I want to watch a film I've already seen but with different actors?"
As Henry Cavill makes a comeback and launches a wave of renewed enthusiasm, let us enjoy the humor!
