Movies - Highlander : A First Look at an Immortal Saga Finally Reforged After Nearly Two Decades of Creative Battles

By Mulder, 28 january 2026

“Happy First Look for Highlander! This has been quite the journey for me, which I’ll tell you all about when the time is right, but it’s a special moment to be able to share this. I hope you enjoy.” – Henry Cavill

After almost twenty years of false starts, creative reshuffles, and industry second-guessing, Highlander is finally moving forward in a form that feels both inevitable and earned, and the first official image shared by Henry Cavill himself marks a quietly emotional milestone for a project that has tested the patience of fans and filmmakers alike. When Henry Cavill wrote “Happy First Look for Highlander! This has been quite the journey for me… it’s a special moment to be able to share this,” the subtext was clear: this is not just another franchise reboot, but a passion-driven resurrection of a mythology that has stubbornly resisted reinvention since Russell Mulcahy’s 1986 cult classic. Now officially an American action-fantasy film directed by Chad Stahelski, written by Kerry Williamson and Mike Finch, and produced under the United Artists banner for Amazon MGM Studios, Highlander positions itself as a prestige reboot with blockbuster muscle, aiming to honor the myth while expanding its cinematic language for a modern audience.

The road to this moment has been notoriously chaotic, beginning as far back as May 2008 when The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Summit Entertainment was developing a remake with Art Marcum and Matt Holloway writing, and Peter Davis producing. Over the following years, the project became a revolving door of high-profile creatives, including Justin Lin, Neal H. Moritz, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, each iteration promising fidelity to the franchise’s core mythology while struggling to reconcile its internal contradictions. Neal H. Moritz notably emphasized in 2010 that the goal was to stay true to the spirit of Highlander while appealing to newcomers, a balancing act that ultimately proved elusive. Script revisions by Melissa Rosenberg, polish work by David Abramowitz, and later drafts by Ryan J. Condal all pointed to a property rich in ideas but notoriously difficult to consolidate into a single, definitive vision, a challenge that Chad Stahelski openly acknowledged as recently as March 2023 when discussing the difficulty of fully depicting the saga’s vast mythology.

The turning point came with Chad Stahelski’s official attachment in November 2016, bringing with him not only the kinetic credibility of the John Wick franchise but also the precision of 87Eleven Entertainment and 87Eleven Action Design, a combination that immediately reframed Highlander as a visceral, physically grounded epic rather than a purely nostalgic exercise. Development continued steadily behind the scenes, with Kerry Williamson officially confirmed as screenwriter in May 2021 and Mike Finch delivering the most recent draft by October 2023, at which point production momentum finally became tangible. In April 2025, United Artists entered final talks to acquire distribution rights, with Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt joining as producers, a deal later contextualized by TheWrap as Lionsgate stepping away due to budget concerns, further underscoring the scale and ambition of the project.

Casting, long a source of rumor and speculation, has now solidified into one of the most striking ensemble lineups the franchise has ever seen. After years of abandoned possibilities involving Vinnie Jones, Ray Stevenson, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Cruise, and Dave Bautista in various incarnations of Highlander lore, the definitive choice arrived in May 2021 when Henry Cavill was cast as Connor MacLeod, a role whose physicality, gravitas, and mythic weight align uncannily well with his screen persona. His commitment was reaffirmed by Chad Stahelski in 2023, despite an injury during pre-production rehearsals that ultimately delayed filming. The casting of Russell Crowe as Ramírez in June 2025 added an inspired layer of generational gravitas, echoing the character’s mentor role while allowing for a radically different interpretation than Sean Connery’s iconic turn. The ensemble continued to expand with Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Djimon Hounsou, Jeremy Irons, Max Zhang, and Drew McIntyre, followed by Siobhán Cullen, Jeon Jong-seo, Nassim Lyes, and Kevin McKidd, forming a cast that blends blockbuster presence, international flair, and physical credibility in a way that feels deliberately curated rather than nostalgic.

Principal photography officially began on January 28, 2026, in Scotland, grounding the film geographically and thematically in the ancestral roots of its immortal protagonist, with Dan Laustsen serving as cinematographer, a choice that signals a visual approach favoring texture, contrast, and atmospheric realism over glossy fantasy. The production delay caused by Henry Cavill’s injury only heightened anticipation, turning the eventual start date into a symbolic victory lap for a film that has repeatedly hovered on the brink of collapse. Musically, Highlander is also embracing its legacy with confidence rather than caution, as Chad Stahelski confirmed that the iconic Queen soundtrack will be incorporated into the reboot, while Tyler Bates composes the original score, a fusion that promises both reverence and reinvention rather than a simple retread.

Narratively, the film returns to the elemental core of the franchise: an immortal Scottish swordsman battling other immortals across centuries to obtain a mysterious, coveted ability, a premise as elegantly simple as it is thematically rich. Based on the original work by Gregory Widen, Peter Bellwood, and Larry Ferguson, this version of Highlander appears determined to strip away accumulated lore clutter while preserving the operatic tragedy and existential weight that made the original endure. With Amazon MGM Studios distributing and United Artists, Original Film, 87Eleven Entertainment, and Davis-Panzer Productions backing the project, Highlander (2026) no longer feels like a reboot chasing relevance, but rather a long-delayed reckoning with a myth that refused to die, echoing its own immortal heroes in the process.

Synopsis :
An immortal Scottish swordsman battles other immortal warriors to obtain a coveted ability.

Highlander
Directed by Chad Stahelski
Written by Kerry Williamson, Mike Finch
Based on Highlander by Gregory Widen, Peter Bellwood, Larry Ferguson
Produced by Neal H. Moritz, Peter Davis, David Leitch, Chad Stahelski, Joshua Davis, Louise Rosner, Scott Stuber, Nick Nesbitt
Starring  Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Drew McIntyre, Max Zhang, Jeremy Irons
Cinematography : Dan Laustsen
Music by Tyler Bates
Production companies : United Artists, Original Film, 87Eleven Entertainment, Davis-Panzer Productions
Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios