Superman star Henry Cavill set to star in reboot of 1986 time-travelling classic Highlander – and director thinks it COULD be the start of a brand new franchise
Superman star Henry Cavill will star in a Highlander reboot as the iconic franchise returns to screens.
A remake of the original film has been rumored as far back as 2008, and director Chad Stalheski has now confirmed that the film is still in the works and could be the start of a major franchise.
Speaking in an interview on the Happy sad podcast On Monday, he said the new movie is coming and could mean big things for the British actor.
Of the upcoming film, he said, “I think we have some really good elements right now. The trick is that if you have the catchphrase, ‘There can only be one’, you can’t kill everyone the first time.’
The Highlander franchise began in 1986 with a fantasy film starring Christopher Lambert, then continued into the late 20th century and into the 21st century with a TV series.
Next project: Superman star Henry Cavill, 40, will star in the 1986 Highlander reboot, the director confirmed in an interview on the Happy Sad podcast Monday (Henry pictured in 2022)
Iconic: The Highlander series ran from 1992 to 1998 and starred Duncan MacLeod as an immortal forced to live in modern society and hide his true colors while battling other immortals
In all, it spawned four films, two live-action TV series, and a series of original novels, among others.
A remake had been talked about for a while and in 2016 Chad, also director of the action thriller series John Wick, came on board.
There’s been little update on the development of the franchise since 2021, but Chad now confirmed, “Highlander, I can tell you right now… if we get our act together and get the feature done, we’ll have ideas for days on how to create the coolest characters and turn them into an epic TV show.
“I just think this is rich, rich, rich, rich mythology. If you can pick any era, any nationality, any culture, any type of person and make them immortal, and then have to duel and deal with the burden of immortality, I think that’s pretty damn cool.”
Stalhelski added that it was a “creative burden,” saying, “I don’t want to be the guy to mess this up.”
Last October, Henry announced he was stepping down from his leading role in another fantasy franchise: Netflix’s The Witcher, and the director has since opened up about his departure.
Less than a month after Henry’s final episodes aired, Mark Jobst discussed how he believes sheer exhaustion and his relentless work ethic may be why he quit the series.
The 40-year-old played Geralt of Rivia in the first three seasons of the popular Netflix series, based on the beloved book series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.
Major Franchise: The Highlander franchise began in 1986 with a fantasy film starring Christopher Lambert, then continued into the late 20th century and into the 21st century with a TV series
Previous roles: The actor played the role of Superman in DC’s Man of Steel in 2013
Henry’s departure: Less than a month after Henry’s final episodes of Netflix’s The Witcher aired, director Mark Jobst opened up about his departure
However, he announced in October 2022 that he would be leaving the series after the third season, with Liam Hemsworth coming on board to replace him.
While many speculated that his departure was due to his brief return as Superman in last year’s Black Adam… before those plans were scrapped by new DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, Jobst has a different theory.
The director, who helmed the show for two episodes in the first season, believes sheer exhaustion and his relentless work ethic may also have played a role in his departure.
“Well, look, Henry’s done three series, they’re demanding shows to make, you know, they’re huge. Henry does every stroke of his stunts, he doesn’t even allow a hand. If you’re taking a close-up of a hand gripping a sword, it has to be his hand,” Jobst explained.
“So normally you bring a doppelgänger, Henry goes off and shoots another scene where he’s somewhere else, and you get someone else’s hand so you don’t have to bother. number one. Henry won’t do that, and as a result the results are extraordinary,” Jobst admitted.
“You’re working with an incredible athlete first and foremost, who trains hours before and hours after, you’ve shot for 12 hours and who cares deeply about the work he’s doing,” he added.