The long-awaited remake of Highlander will take a little longer to arrive after the latest unfortunate delay. Henry Cavill is set to star in the fantasy action movie, which is a retelling of the cult classic 1986 movie starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. The new Highlander movie has been talked about for decades, but it is now closer than ever to hitting big screens. However, that does not mean the delays have stopped.
According to Deadline, Cavill was injured during training for the movie and will need some time to recover. As a result, Highlander will likely be pushing its production start to early in 2026. The original Highlander told the story of Connor MacLeod, a member of a rare group of immortals who have battled each other over the centuries in the hopes of being the final one left standing.
While a delay like this so close to a production start can sometimes lead to recasting, it is great to see that the new Highlander movie is willing to wait for Cavill to recover in order to keep him as the lead of the movie. Highlander certainly has the potential to be a new franchise for Cavill, following his exit from the role of Superman after James Gunn’s DCU rebooted the character.
Highlander will be the next project for Cavill, but he already has a busy schedule lined up. He was announced as the star of the upcoming Voltron movie, he will reteam with director Guy Ritchie once again for the action movie In the Grey, and he will reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes for the third time alongside Millie Bobby Brown in Netflix’s Enola Holmes 3.
The Highlander reboot is exciting, despite the long wait
Given the fun premise, cult status, and franchise potential, Highlander seems like an obvious movie to get the remake treatment. However, it has been a surprisingly long road to becoming a reality. The original Highlander received three sequels as well as several television and comic book spinoffs. Yet the remake has been in the works since 2008, with many false starts along the way.
Directors like Justin Lin and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo were attached at various points, while actors like Ryan Reynolds and Tom Cruise had been linked to starring roles as well. None of these iterations ever evolved beyond the early pre-production stages, and it seemed as though it was one of those remakes that was doomed to be unfulfilled. However, 2020 saw some major movement on the project that made it more of a reality than ever.
Chad Stahelski signed on to direct the movie, making it his first movie as a director outside of the wildly successful John Wick movies. With Cavill on board to star, the cast also came together, featuring Dave Bautista as the villainous Kurgan, Russell Crowe as MacLeod’s mentor, and Karen Gillan as his love interest.
Stahelski has proven himself as one of the most impressive action movie directors working right now. Highlander is certainly a different type of action movie than the John Wick franchise, but there is no doubt that he will deliver some thrilling set pieces. With the addition of Cavill leading an incredible ensemble, the stage is set for Highlander to be a reboot that is actually worth the wait.