Henry Cavill’s ‘Highlander’ Reboot: Will This Be the Next Great Fantasy Franchise?

The upcoming Highlander reboot starring Henry Cavill might mark the beginning of the next great fantasy franchise.

It’s been quite a while since fans have heard an update on the movie, which John Wick director Chad Stahelski is directing. The reboot of the 1986 flick will revisit the immortal Scottish swordsman as he faces off with other immortal warriors to obtain more power.

Stahelski, 54, appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and spoke about the project. He notes, “I think we have some very good elements now. The trick is when you have the tagline, ‘There can only be one,’ you can’t just kill everybody the first time.”

“I’ll say it for you first, our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that. But we’ve also brought in elements of all the TV shows. And we’re trying to do a bit of a prequel, a setup to ‘The Gathering’. So we have room to grow the property.” Stahelski continues.

The original film starred Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown, and Sir Sean Conner. And it’s perhaps most notable for its ‘There can only be one’ catchphrase (as well as the Queen soundtrack). After a less-than-stellar performance at the box office (the film only grossed $5.9 million worldwide against a $16 million budget), the film spawned four additional movies and three spin-off TV series.

What Will Henry Cavill’s Role Be in the Highlander Reboot?

It’s not been specified if Henry Cavill will be playing a brand-new character or one from a previous project. However, Stahelski is convinced that the former ‘Superman’ actor has the “physicality and empathy” to be the film’s lead.

“Henry obviously has the physicality. But that doesn’t mean a whole lot if you can’t carry the empathy of a character that’s lived 500 years. And I needed somebody who could do both,” Stahelski notes. “The character’s arc spans hundreds of years. And he becomes many different personalities, all of which extend the timeline of his emotional growth.”

“Then during our first meeting, my suspicions were confirmed. Henry was immediately riffing on the idea of the burden of immortality. And you could see in his eyes that he can transform himself from being a young, vibrant soul to an old, wise soul. He had this combination I was fascinated by.” he adds.

No word yet on when the Highlander reboot will make its way to the big screen. IMDB lists the project as being in pre-production. However, the current SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have most productions paused until a middle ground is found between the unions and the studios.

With Chad Stahelski and Henry Cavill attached to the project, the project certainly has the potential to be the next great fantasy franchise. Only time will tell if they can pull off something as beloved and timeless as the original Highlander.