Superman as the Highlander was cool enough, but now he’s going to showdown with Drax, and, as we know, there can be only one.
Yes, Dave Bautista is joining the cast of the upcoming reboot of Highlander from director Chad Stahelski. Henry Cavill stars as Connor MacLeod, a man who discovers he’s an immortal being called a Highlander. He’s opposed by the Kurgan, another Highlander who has been killing them across the centuries. That’s Bautista.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the casting, which is just the latest in what is turning out to be a very awesome group. Case in point, Russell Crowe is playing Ramirez, the Highlander who takes MacLeod under his wing. In the original 1986 film, Christopher Lambert was MacLeod, Sean Connery was Ramirez, and Clancy Brown was the Kurgan. Those are all awesome actors, but they’re certainly matched by this remake.
A remake that, if you remember, has been long in the making. Stahelski, best known for being the godfather of the John Wick franchise, has himself been attached for almost 10 years. It’s a true passion project for him, and the fact he’s finally going to start filming next month must feel surreal.
“I’ve been a huge fan of the original property since I saw it in high school,” Stahelski said way back in 2016. “Such great themes of immortality, love, and identity are all wrapped up in such colorful mythology. I can’t think of a better property that gives the opportunity to create interesting characters, mythic themes, and action set pieces.”
Having revisited the original Highlander semi-recently, it’s going to be interesting how faithful Stahelski and writer Michael Finch will be to the original. The original is amazing, but it leaves so much to the imagination that you have to think a modern filmmaker would lean into it. Will this movie get deeper into the mythology of what it means to be a Highlander? Or will it be more focused like the original? Maybe we’ll find out some time next year.