Director Chad Stahelski recently shed some light on the upcoming Highlander film, which will be a reboot of the franchise. The lead role will be played by Henry Cavill, known for his roles in The Witcher and Man of Steel.
Chad Stahelski describes the main character as a martial artist who has lived for over 500 years and has acquired many skills during that time. He has not yet confirmed whether this character is Connor MacLeod, originally played by Christopher Lambert in the original film series.
And we're bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong, and seeing how it goes. There's big opportunity for action. There's a chance to play a character that not a lot of people get to play. And it's a bit of a love story, but not how you think. On John Wick, I learned a lot on how to bend the storytelling a little...
My selling point was, to [Henry Cavill], look, you've got a guy that's been alive for over 500 years. He's the last person in the world that wanted to be in this situation. So you get to cover quite a broad spread of a character arc there. And you get to experience someone that's trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts...
According to preliminary information, the budget for the new Highlander could be around $100 million. Previously, Chad Stahelski stated that the upcoming film could be the beginning of something very grand.
The original Highlander film series tells the story of an immortal swordsman from Scotland who has lived for about 500 years and battles other warriors like himself. After defeating each of them, he gains their power.