Having already shown his impressive ability to wield a sword as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher, wherein his character is a mutated monster hunter, Henry Cavill is all set to pick up a sword once again for the reboot of Highlander.
Fans in 2021 were sent into a frenzy after the Man of Steel actor joined John Wick director Chad Stahelski for the ambitious project. Since then Lionsgate seemingly moved the needle very little with regard to their Highlander plans. However, now they are gearing up to open the movie to investors in a move that suggests things could start to pick up pace imminently.
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What’s Happening With Henry Cavill’s ‘John Wick With Swords’ Project
The 1986 action-adventure film revolves around Scottish swordsman Connor Macleod, an immortal who has to fight the last of his immortal opponents, the evil Kurgan, who lusts for the fabled prize. Christopher Lambert’s lead character is trained by Sean Connery’s Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez, an ancient immortal of Egyptian origin.
The time-jumping movie didn’t shine at the box office, but it left viewers intrigued with its eccentric characters and sub-plots, which opened doors for multiple sequels and television spin-offs.
However, only Highlander managed to stand the test of time and Lionsgate decided to bring the reboot of the original film by roping in Henry Cavill and Chad Stahelski.
Now they are preparing to launch sales at the AFM on their fantasy project, Deadline has reported. The outlet further added that it will be a big-budget proposition, north of $100M. If things move forward as planned, the filming will start in 2024.
How John Wick’s Director Would Shape Henry Cavill’s Highlander Reboot
Apart from the fact that the movie will be based on the 1986 original and its current draft of the screenplay is by Mike Finch, not much is known about how Stahelski would approach the reboot. However, he has suggested that Cavill’s movie will be similar to John Wick.
The stuntman-turned-director has overseen all four John Wick movies, where Keanu Reeves plays the titular character, a former assassin who seeks vengeance after a mobster and his thugs kill his puppy. Speaking about the direction his version of Highlander would take, Stahelski told Collider:
“Ratings are second to what we’re going to do. Highlander, I think the action is — at least what’s in my head — is going to fall on a line, for sure. We want to design it what we think is aesthetically cool, and so far I’ve met no resistance, they’re like, ‘Look, whatever you did with John Wick with the gun stuff, we want you to try and do with the sword stuff. We want you to make something cool and something unique, and something that’s going to make audiences say ‘Wow, I haven’t seen that before.'”
The director also teased fans of the cult classic by suggesting the plans aren’t limited to making just one Highlander movie but creating something mythological with the potential to be turned into more chapters.
