Big news has been revealed for the Highlander reboot featuring beloved actor Henry Cavill. With the rights to the film almost secured, the new Highlander may soon be finally getting an official release date. Per Deadline, Cavill's Highlander film is very close to being picked up by Amazon MGM Studios' United Artists and Scott Stuber, who are in final negotiations to land the rights. Should the deal go through, Stuber will serve as a producer on the project for United Artists alongside Nick Nesbitt and Neal H. Moritz and director Chad Stahelski's 87Eleven Entertainment.
With John Wick franchise director Stahelski at the helm, the movie's screenplay comes from Michael Finch (John Wick: Chapter 4). United Artists reportedly sought the full rights to the franchise. There are apparently big plans to potentially do more with Highlander beyond the new film starring Cavill, with a tie-in TV series named as a possibility in the Deadline report. It's also noted that Amazon's model was what worked best for Stahelski's vision of Highlander, making the deal seem very beneficial for everyone involved.
Of course, the future of the franchise will all boil down to how well the movie from Stahelski and Cavill performs, but with such popular names attached, the odds are high that the reboot will get a lot of attention.
Henry Cavill's Next Big Role Is for Highlander
Cavill is very popular with fans after some of his beloved roles including Geralt in The Witcher and Superman in Man of Steel. After appearing in the MCU with his role as a Wolverine variant in Deadpool & Wolverine, he has other big projects that fans are anticipating. Recently, it was reported that Cavill would star in a Voltron movie directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, based on the popular anime. He is also working on a Warhammer 40,000 adaptation. Both of these projects are also in the works at Amazon MGM Studios.
The franchise began in 1986 with the release of the original Highlander movie. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the film starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, with other cast members including Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, and Sean Connery. The film was not a major box office success upon a release, as it earned less than $13 million, failing to match its production budget of $19 million. It found success on home video, however, and became a cult classic that spawned a franchise.
Two direct sequels were made for Highlander: 1991's Highlander II: The Quickening and 1994's Highlander III: The Sorcerer. In 1992, the TV series adaptation debuted to success, ultimately running for six seasons before concluding in 1998. It had a short-lived spinoff dubbed The Raven and there was also an animated series version that aired in the mid-90s. Two films, 2000's Highlander: Endgame and 2007's Highlander: The Source, were also released, tying into the TV series version. An anime, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance was released in 2007. The Highlander reboot doesn't have a set release date at this time.
In a separate but equally exciting development, Shinichirō Watanabe's newest anime series, Lazarus, debuted on April 5, 2025, on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. The show is set in 2052, where a miracle painkiller named Hapna is introduced. However, three years later, in 2055, the creator of Hapna reveals that everyone who took it will die in 30 days unless someone can find him in time. A team of five heroes is assembled to find the creator and secure a possible vaccine.
Watanabe, best known for his work on Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, tapped John Wick director Chad Stahelski to develop the action choreography for Lazarus. Speaking to Men’s Health over Zoom, Watanabe expressed the desire to create a new type of action anime, stating, "We didn't want to redo what we've done in the past. We wanted to do a new type of action anime this time. The first thing that came to mind was John Wick."
For Stahelski, there was a built-in level of mutual respect and admiration. He noted that Watanabe's work has been influential in his own career, saying, "One of them was always Shinichirō Watanabe-san, with Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo." Their collaboration involved Stahelski and Watanabe discussing the project at least twice a week throughout the production of its 13-episode first season.
The creative process was dynamic, with Stahelski's stunt team working to develop action sequences based on story beats provided by Watanabe. Stahelski remarked, "We call it the ever-decreasing circle of perfection," emphasizing the back-and-forth nature of their collaboration. Watanabe confirmed that Stahelski’s team sent over pre-visualizations to the Lazarus animators, who then distilled everything into animation.
The results have been electric, with each episode featuring sequences that are instantly memorable. The series lead, Axel, showcases a unique acrobatic style that reflects Watanabe's signature approach to character movement. Watanabe explained, "A big reason why we have him do that is that we wanted to show that he was someone who could challenge something very dangerous and want to succeed."
Despite its futuristic setting, Lazarus is rooted in contemporary issues. Watanabe has drawn inspiration from the opioid crisis, as well as personal experiences with musicians he admired who succumbed to overdoses. These themes resonate throughout the show, exploring how society often neglects the less fortunate while the wealthy continue to thrive.
As Watanabe and Stahelski continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in anime and action choreography, fans eagerly anticipate the impact of Lazarus on the genre. Stahelski remarked, "Can you make it something people refer to?" With any luck, Lazarus will be a series that resonates for years to come.
