After years of development hell, a remake of Highlander is finally on the way, courtesy of John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski. Henry Cavill will play the lead.
For months now, there’s been some confusion regarding Chad Stahelski’s next directorial project following last year’s John Wick: Chapter Four. Stahelski has been developing a new take on Highlander for several years now, and the filmmaker has also been pushing an adaptation of the popular Ghost Of Tsushima video game towards a green light for PlayStation Productions.
Given that various filmmakers have tried and failed to get a Highlander remake off the ground for well over a decade now, it seemed that perhaps Stahelski would end up tackling the samurai film first. Not least because PlayStation Productions seem pretty trigger-happy when it comes to getting as many projects as possible on its slate.
In fact, Stahelski even said back in November that his Ghost Of Tsushima film was ‘very close’ to production, leading to speculation that it would be his next film.
The speculation is now over: a Highlander remake starring Henry Cavill has been confirmed as officially happening. It will also be the director’s next film to enter production.
The news comes as part of a new agreement between Stahelski and Lionsgate that gives the former oversight over all Highlander and John Wick projects at the studio, including film spin-offs, TV shows and perhaps beyond.
At the announcement of the deal, Stahelski had this to say:
“I am pleased to be able to grow my relationship with Lionsgate in this new oversight role for the John Wick universe and its further expansion. John Wick is so close to my heart and to be able to continue shepherding it will be a blast for me. I’m so happy to also be launching another franchise with Highlander, a world that is so rich with engaging stories to be told.”
We don’t have a lot else to go on right now, as no production or release date has been issued for Highlander.
We do know that Cavill will play the lead in a story about a group of secret immortals who do battle throughout time to become the wielder of an ultimate power. We can also surmise that now Highlander is next up for Stahelski, we’ll be waiting a few years to see Ghost Of Tsushima happen.
We also know that The Ballerina, a John Wick spin-off film is coming this summer and there’s been some talk of another film in the mainline series, something Lionsgate has publicly stated its enthusiasm for.
Beyond that, we’ll see but here’s hoping that Highlander looks to shoot this year ahead of a 2025 release. We’ll bring you more on this one as we hear it.
