Fantasy Highlander Remake

[TheVileOne]

Maybe the idea of monomyth narrative?

Here what I will at least credit Underworld for. I'm not a huge fan of the Underworld movies. I think the first 2 are decent fantasy action films. But I like that what Wiseman did was sort of just invent his own fantasy action series with its own mythology and world building. He clearly took inspirations from other stuff, but it was basically an original concept that offers its own spin on vampirism, werewolves, immortals. But the concept was basically his own. There are a ton of lesser sequels and all, but it at least started from that sensibility. And it centered around a strong female heroine.

I think trying to find that weird kitschy lightning-in-a-bottle success again for Highlander is going to be impossible. Chances are the new film will be PG-13 as well.

Just saying, they couldn't figure it out for movies like Total Recall, RoboCop, Ghostbusters, etc.

 

[Lighthouse]

Especially since it's inconsistently portrayed. In Endgame for example, Jacob Kell can just walk into a monastery full of sleeping immortals and kill them all with no consequences whatsoever. So what is it just an honor system or something, because that makes no sense?

And yet in an episode of the TV show, Joe Dawson says that it was two immortals dueling on holy ground that caused the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. So that would imply some kind of supernatural force at work.

In the series, Duncan regularly states that not even the most evil of immortals would break the holy ground rule. Xavier St. Cloud, who often cheated using guns, wasn't willing to fight on holy ground.

They actually cut out the part about where the sleeping immortals were as holy ground for Endgame, because they got so many complaints about the rule. Endgame is super problematic in general. Connor pulls out a sword on Kell in a cemetary, but in the original, Connor didn't even draw his sword when the Kurgan said he'd raped his wife. Most fans I know disregard The Quickening, Endgame and The Source.

Keanu for Connor MacLeod.


Come on, admit it. You want to hear him attempt a Scottish accent.

The fact that Keanu is probably really immortal is a bonus.

 

[godisawesome]

Maybe the idea of monomyth narrative?

Here what I will at least credit Underworld for. I'm not a huge fan of the Underworld movies. I think the first 2 are decent fantasy action films. But I like that what Wiseman did was sort of just invent his own fantasy action series with its own mythology and world building. He clearly took inspirations from other stuff, but it was basically an original concept that offers its own spin on vampirism, werewolves, immortals. But the concept was basically his own. There are a ton of lesser sequels and all, but it at least started from that sensibility. And it centered around a strong female heroine.

I think trying to find that weird kitschy lightning-in-a-bottle success again for Highlander is going to be impossible. Chances are the new film will be PG-13 as well.

Just saying, they couldn't figure it out for movies like Total Recall, RoboCop, Ghostbusters, etc.

The first Highlander movie kind of did that, though they never had him return home after the final fight with the Kurgan.

Maybe they could go full mono-myth with Connor Macleod, then have him return to his old stomping grounds at the end, go full bittersweet and nostalgia with him visiting an excavation of his family's keep. Then, as he tastes the bitter sweetness of his memories, he feels the calling of an unknowing immortal, much like he was before Ramirez found him, and meets a younger man from his clan named Duncan...

And incidentally, I love how some Immortals get nicknames tied to who they are. Maybe they should fully embrace that in this remake, with all the film's immortals either having specific nicknames tied to personal sagas, or their more shrouded past. Imagine being introduced to characters the Watchers just referred to by titles like the Highlander, the Kurgan, the Widow, the Last Khan, the Kingdom Killer, the Berserker, etc. Heck, maybe go ahead and have some guys just called War, Pestilence, Death...

And really play into why Immortals can impact history but not control it, since a beheading is something that anyone can deliver if given proper time and tools. It's their accumulated skills, reflexes, wisdom, and occaisional quickenings that make them dangerous.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

He's not my 1st choice.....but does fit the look you would have to agree.

 

[Reverse-Zoom]

So are they remaking Highlander the original movie or is it rebooting all of Highlander. I only watched the first 2 movies and the tv show with Duncan.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

There is no firm answer on it either way.
Highlander movie rumors have been going on since 2014.

 

[Doctor Jones]

The immortality and consequences of otherwise mundane sword fights, the implication that by the nature of that power the more you obtained ...the more alone you became, all seemed familiar.
What really made Highlander unique, was the language by which it told that familiar story. The repeat flashbacks and parallels to the tales of the past, which revealed more and more about the mysterious stranger, protagonist you were meeting in the present.

And what you inevitably learn is hunting him.

This parallel story telling is what really gave Highlander it's unique, timeless, feel, and language, distinguished it from other films at the time. That aspect was nothing like Star Wars, which it's only superficially like.

I look forward to seeing what comes of this, but that his first reference is Star Wars to convey his vision of how Highlander should be developed, instead of Highlander itself doesn't give me much hope.

This.

Not everything needs to be like ****ing Star Wars.

 

[Reverse-Zoom]

There is no firm answer on it either way.
Highlander movie rumors have been going on since 2014.

If they do reboot or remake it, why don't they go for the 1st immortal route. Has it been done before. Why are the rules the rules. Again I only watched the 1st 2 movies and the series on tv and I don't remember the intricacies of the movies or series but I don't remember them ever giving backstory to the beginnings. Then the next could have Connor and introduce Duncan at the end. I feel like highlander focused just on the Connor and in later movies and tv series it was Duncan.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

If they do reboot or remake it, why don't they go for the 1st immortal route. Has it been done before. Why are the rules the rules. Again I only watched the 1st 2 movies and the series on tv and I don't remember the intricacies of the movies or series but I don't remember them ever giving backstory to the beginnings. Then the next could have Connor and introduce Duncan at the end. I feel like highlander focused just on the Connor and in later movies and tv series it was Duncan.

The continuity as a whole has been an issue in Highlander movies and TV series. Been a recurring problem.

 

[Breogan]

If they do reboot or remake it, why don't they go for the 1st immortal route. Has it been done before. Why are the rules the rules. Again I only watched the 1st 2 movies and the series on tv and I don't remember the intricacies of the movies or series but I don't remember them ever giving backstory to the beginnings. Then the next could have Connor and introduce Duncan at the end. I feel like highlander focused just on the Connor and in later movies and tv series it was Duncan.

Was/would the first immortal be a Highlander though?
Might be weird calling it that otherwise , if you are not starting there.
Better to start with Connor and do flashbacks.

 

[Fallen Angel]

It's a reboot of the franchise.

 

[Reverse-Zoom]

Was/would the first immortal be a Highlander though?
Might be weird calling it that otherwise , if you are not starting there.
Better to start with Connor and do flashbacks.

We have seen this and to be honest there is no way you can make highlander over again. It was too freaking good, the music was good, and it had a lot of heart. One now would just be paint by the numbers and probably dull and boring. Taking it to the beginning would open a world we never explored and to me that's 10x more interesting then seeing a generic version of a classic.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I'd just have it focus on new characters.

 

[Breogan]

Taking it to the beginning would open a world we never explored and to me that's 10x more interesting then seeing a generic version of a classic.

Point was, I'm all for taking it to the beginning, I would still want to see them use a Highlander as the main protagonist though, as per the title. And just use further flash backs (taking his memory even further back).
It's part of the language of the franchise.
You seem against it, so I'm asking would your "10x more interesting" beginning character", be a Highlander?
Would you not have a Highlander as the focus? Or would that - "just be paint by the numbers and probably dull and boring." as you say.
Would you change that, or the title?
Maybe call it Immortals, make the focus an any character.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

Point was, I'm asking would your "beginning" character be a Highlander as per the title of the film?
Would you have a Highlander as the focus of it?
Would you change the title?

I think it would have to be Highlander as the focus. Otherwise, it would just be a totally new idea & set of characters.
I dont think Highlander was ever the original immortal, just the one we start with and grow to care about. Like Luke Skywalker isnt the 1st jedi but the one the story starts with.

 

[elgaz]

The continuity as a whole has been an issue in Highlander movies and TV series. Been a recurring problem.

A major problem at that. Highlander 2 was a frigging mess.

 

[Reverse-Zoom]

Point was, I'm all for taking it to the beginning, I would still want to see them use a Highlander as the main protagonist though, as per the title. And just use further flash backs (taking his memory even further back).
It's part of the language of the franchise.
You seem against it, so I'm asking would your "10x more interesting" beginning character", be a Highlander?
Would you not have a Highlander as the focus? Or would that - "just be paint by the numbers and probably dull and boring." as you say.
Would you change that, or the title?
Maybe call it Immortals, make the focus an any character.

I'm not against a highlander being in the movie at all. I want the movie to be about the first highlander. Maybe start it back to the great flood and Noah's ark and how he survived that and didn't die even tho the entire world was flooded. Then go to another time period where is fighting in a war and he stabs them but they don't die and then he beheads that person for the first time and has absorbs there powers and life force and then they treat him as a god they establish the counsel or whatever the higher beings are and it spreads through the lands to maybe a conqueror of countries who sets out to do battle with him because he too is immortal. then just go through it from there maybe they go to fight in holy land for the first time but something stops them some higher force and rules are adopted. I mean I'm not fully enthralled in the universe of highlander so I like I said before I'm not sure on the details of this stuff but that's a movie I want to see. Is about a man who can't die. He could even be the first macloud and defeat the guy who could be the father to the original kurgan and that when they mate with ppl they pass the trait on to their offspring. That's sorta what I would think would make for a good movie. I think it would be interesting. Especially with special effects and cgi these days.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

I'd like to see a movie universe for Highlander that has a lot of the lore that the TV series established (Watchers, dark & light quickenings, the game and the final gathering and "there can be only one" being more of an end prophecy for the immortals that may or may not happen, rather then starting the first movie with the final gathering like the original did).

This way you could have a universe that allows for more movies without having to make them space aliens like Highlander 2 did.

 

[Thundarr]

I'd like to see a movie universe for Highlander that has a lot of the lore that the TV series established (Watchers, dark & light quickenings, the game and the final gathering and "there can be only one" being more of an end prophecy for the immortals that may or may not happen, rather then starting the first movie with the final gathering like the original did).

This way you could have a universe that allows for more movies without having to make them space aliens like Highlander 2 did.

Totally agreed on that point. If they're planning on recreating the main characters from the first movie (Connor MacLeod, Ramirez, Kurgan, etc) then it should be a centuries old grudge between MacLeod and Kurgan, not be them as the last two immortals of The Gathering. Something like after Kurgan kills Ramirez and rapes MacLeod's wife, Connor returns home to find his friend & mentor dead and his wife violated. She tells him what happened and describes who attacked her. Connor swears revenge, but his wife makes him promise not to seek out Kurgan because she had seen his power and knows Connor is no match for him. Connor reluctantly agrees, and lives out the following centuries only fighting to protect himself or others. Then in modern New York (or whatever city they decide to set th remake in) instead of Kurgan killing immortals just because it's The Gathering, he's killing immortals who are friends of MacLeod's in order to force a confrontation (kinda like that immortal who went after Duncan MacLeod for two seasons of the TV series, the guy with a raspy voice because Duncan had cut his throat in a fight).

 

[Peyton Westlake]

Totally agreed on that point. If they're planning on recreating the main characters from the first movie (Connor MacLeod, Ramirez, Kurgan, etc) then it should be a centuries old grudge between MacLeod and Kurgan, not be them as the last two immortals of The Gathering. Something like after Kurgan kills Ramirez and rapes MacLeod's wife, Connor returns home to find his friend & mentor dead and his wife violated. She tells him what happened and describes who attacked her. Connor swears revenge, but his wife makes him promise not to seek out Kurgan because she had seen his power and knows Connor is no match for him. Connor reluctantly agrees, and lives out the following centuries only fighting to protect himself or others. Then in modern New York (or whatever city they decide to set th remake in) instead of Kurgan killing immortals just because it's The Gathering, he's killing immortals who are friends of MacLeod's in order to force a confrontation (kinda like that immortal who went after Duncan MacLeod for two seasons of the TV series, the guy with a raspy voice because Duncan had cut his throat in a fight).

You have a good idea to start it off with showing why they have a history together.

 

[Thundarr]

You have a good idea to start it off with showing why they have a history together.

Thank you.

It also leaves the ending open to future sequels.

 

[Thundarr]

If they do reboot or remake it, why don't they go for the 1st immortal route. Has it been done before. Why are the rules the rules. Again I only watched the 1st 2 movies and the series on tv and I don't remember the intricacies of the movies or series but I don't remember them ever giving backstory to the beginnings. Then the next could have Connor and introduce Duncan at the end. I feel like highlander focused just on the Connor and in later movies and tv series it was Duncan.

They kind of did the "First Immortal" story in the TV series, with the introduction of the character of Methos. While technically not actually the First Immortal, he was the oldest living immortal (I believe he was something like 5000 years old, or maybe older). When they first met, Duncan asked him if he had discovered any meaning behind The Rules and The Gathering, but Methos told him that he hadn't.

While I don't think that a movie explaining the what, the how, and the why of The Immortals and their journey to The Gathering would work, as part of what makes the series work as a whole is a mystery surrounding The Immortals, maybe a movie, or a series of movies about the life and times of Methos could be an interesting idea for a spin-off. Highlander: The Methos Chronicles.

 

[TheVileOne]

I don't really want to know though.

The reason being is they tried to create an origin story for the Immortals in the second movie and no one liked it.

I think it's better that we don't know all the details. It adds to the mystique of these characters and what they are about. I think it's more interesting that none of them really know all the rules or how it all started.

Remember they are all born as regular men. They don't know they are immortal until the shock of a violent death.

 

[Thundarr]

I don't really want to know though.

The reason being is they tried to create an origin story for the Immortals in the second movie and no one liked it.

That's what I said. In the original movie and in the TV series even the immortals themselves didn't know where they came from, why they can't fight on Holy ground, or why they have to fight each other to the death. The mystery is a part of the show's appeal.

And the whole "immortals are aliens from another world" thing in Part 2 just sucked.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

I would just focus on Connor if it ever gets remade.
Explain because he is 1 of the immortals who hails from Scotland, he is known as the Highlander.
Let the mystery remain as you follow him as the focus.