Highlander reboot: Multiple Henry Cavill movies planned, plus TV show

Chris Tilly

John Wick director Chad Stahelski has been talking up his forthcoming Highlander reboot starring Henry Cavill, which is being planned as multiple movies, as well as a spinoff TV show.

Starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, Highlander hit screens in 1986, and with its iconic Queen soundtrack and tale of immortals doing battle through the ages, the film immediately connected with audiences.

So much so that it spawned sequels of varying quality, and a TV show that ran for six seasons in the early 1990s.

Rebooting the franchise has clearly been a tricky proposition however, with directors Justin Lin and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo coming and going, and actors Ryan Reynolds and Dave BaBautistautsita boarding the project, then dropping out. Now, however, it looks like there might be light at the end of the Highlander tunnel.

Highlander reboot: Multiple Henry Cavill movies planned, plus TV show

Henry Cavill will star in the Highlander reboot, with John Wick mastermind Chad Stahelski directing, and the latter has been discussing the potential of the franchise, stating that immortals will survive the first film so they can be whittled down in sequels.

“I think we have some very good elements now,” Stahelski told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “The trick is when you have the tagline, ‘There can only be one,’ you can’t just kill everybody in the first movie.”

“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,” Stahelski adds. “We’re trying to do a bit of a prequel — a setup to The Gathering — so we have room to grow the property.”

“We have ideas for days about how to make the coolest characters and to make that an epic TV show. I just think that’s rich, rich, rich mythology when you can pick any period of time, any nationality, any culture, any type of person and make them an immortal that have to duel and deal with the burden of immortality — that’s f*cking cool.”

Chad Stahelski calls original “one of the best-worst films ever”

When asked for his thoughts on the original movie, Chad Stahelski calls Highlander “one of the best-worst films ever.”

But the director qualifies that statement on the podcast by saying “80s action movies have a vibe to them – they’re masculine, they’re fun, they’re experimental, they’re a little kooky, they’re in-your-face.”

“That movie has power… it’s a little cheesy in structure, you can argue that the present-day police love story is very forced, and there’s not a lot that happens in the second act – it’s mostly bitchin’ flashbacks to Sean Connery mugging to camera.

“You watch the movie and it has no business being good or cool or interesting, but for whatever reason – the fish-eye lenses, the weird sword-fights, f*cked up dialogue, and the Queen soundtrack – make it one of the funnest movies you’ll ever watch.”

We’ll bring you more news on the Highlander reboot as and when it breaks. While for the rest of our TV coverage, head here.