Nearly four decades after the original film debuted, the Highlander remake nears production as fans get closer to seeing Henry Cavill’s portrayal of the eponymous Scottish 16th-century immortal. While rooted in ancient times, director Chad Stahelski teases a more modern-day story with the reboot and confirms when production begins.
Speaking with The Direct, Stahelski hinted at what audiences can expect in the new Highlander, explaining how the remake will handle its multi-century time jumps. According to Stahelski, the Lionsgate film will move from the early 16th century to “beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong,” assuring fans there’ll be a “big opportunity for action” while claiming that it will be a (sort of) love story.
“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,” Stahelski said. “There’s big opportunity for action. 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.”
Stahelski also revealed how he sold Cavill on the lead role of Connor MacLeod in the Highlander reboot, promising him there’s a “broad spread of character arc” his central protagonist will showcase throughout the movie. “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,” he said.
And you get to experience someone that’s trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts.
After a recent production update suggested the Highlander reboot wouldn’t begin principal photography next January as initially intended, Stahelski confirmed cameras would start rolling on the feature-length project “by spring” 2025. Stahelski boarded the movie around a decade ago, with Cavill winning the lead role in 2021. Lionsgate greenlit the remake in October last year and ramped up development once the SAG-AFTRA strike ended the following month.
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The original Highlander wasn’t a critical darling or a box-office hit upon its 1986 release. However, upon reassessment over the years, the film earned cult classic status among movie lovers. The film also spawned an acclaimed TV show, Highlander: The Series, which enjoyed a successful six-season run between 1992 and 1998. Stahelski confirmed parts of the hit series will be adapted for the remake.
Henry Cavill Is the Only Confirmed Cast Member
While Cavill is the only confirmed cast member for the Highlander reboot, Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Fassbender has been rumored to play the movie’s main villain. Stahelski is directing the remake from a script penned by Mike Finch.
The Highlander reboot is expected to hit theaters in 2026.
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