Fans of the cult classic Highlander rejoice! Not only is production on the reboot starring Henry Cavill slated to begin in Scotland this fall, another Oscar winner has joined the project, which will be directed by Chad Stahleski, the creative force behind the John Wick franchise. Cavill will play with the titular immortal Scottish warrior Connor, taking up the mantle from Christopher Lambert in the original 1986 film. Though Highlander spawned several sequels and spinoffs, none were as successful nor beloved as the original film. This latest casting announcement for Stahleski and Cavill’s reboot gives us hope that their take on Highlander will be able accomplish what previous incarnations haven’t.
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According to Collider, Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe has signed on to Highlander in a major role. While we’re unsure of exactly who the Aussie star will be playing, Crowe certainly brings an impressive action pedigree in addition to his Oscar-worthy acting chops to the project, with roles in Gladiator, Master & Commander, Robin Hood, The Nice Guys, and most recently, Kraven the Hunter. Crowe’s casting marks a thrilling step forward for the movie, which languished in development for almost a decade, as Stahleski and his team get ready to roll cameras later this year.
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Crowe and Cavill last shared the screen in Zack Snyder’s 2013 Superman film Man of Steel. While Cavill played the Kryptonian superhero, Crowe brought his deceased father Jor-El to life. The nature of their characters’ father-son relationship could in fact give us a hint as to who Crowe is playing in Highlander. Given their nearly 20-year age gap, Crowe could be taking on another paternal role to Cavill in Highlander as MacLeod’s mentor Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez. Played by Sean Connery in the 1986 Highlander, Crowe could do a lot reimagining the dashing Egyptian/Spanish swordsman that’s indispensable to MacLeod. However, Crowe has an incredible range, which means he could just as easily play MacLeod’s formidable foe, the Kurgan, in the upcoming film, or perhaps even another immortal, whether he be drawn from either Highlander’s lore or a new addition.
It seems that Stahleski’s globe-trotting, grittier take that convinced Cavill to come onboard Highlander also swayed Crowe. Previously, Stahleski shared that a deeper examination MacLeod’s psyche and the anguish that comes from being alive for hundreds of years was his “selling point” to Cavill.
“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,” Stahelski shared with The Direct. “And you get to experience someone that’s trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts.”
The Highlander franchise is known for its nonstop action centered around the eternal battle between a race of immortals for the Prize, which contains both the power of all fallen Immortals, omnipotent knowledge, and the ability to become human. It seems that Stahleski seeks to ground Highlander’s fantasy into something more universal for viewers to connect with, and that his new vision for the franchise is compelling enough to bring an icon like Crowe on board.
