John Wick director offers promising update on Henry Cavill’s Highlander reboot, teasing franchise potential
There can be only one reboot
John Wick director Chad Stahelski has teased the upcoming Highlander movie reboot with Henry Cavill – revealing that it will include both familiar characters and "elements" taken from the ‘90s TV series.
"We’re looking to do our story [and it] engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that," Stahelski told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows."
"We’re trying to do a bit of a prequel setup to The Gathering," Stahleski added, referring to the culmination of the near-eternal battle among immortals. "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 a rich, rich mythology."
Highlander, the 1986 fantasy that saw Christopher Lambert star as warrior Connor MacLeod in the midst of a centuries-long war to claim The Prize, was notable for bringing "there can be only one" into the forefront of pop culture.
A TV show, which ran for over 100 episodes, featured Lambert reprising his role in the pilot – before passing the torch to his cousin Duncan (Adrian Paul).
"Being not shy with swords, and having a director as talented as Chad Stahelski at the helm, this is an opportunity like no other," Cavill previously wrote on Instagram, alongside research that suggested he would be wearing a kilt in the upcoming reboot. "Deep diving into franchise storytelling with all the tools at our disposal, is going to make this an adventure I (and hopefully all of you) shall never forget."
For more on what's coming to cinemas, check out our guide to upcoming movies.
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I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.