Fantasy Highlander Remake

[AndrewGilkison]

And they couldn't. Look at Highlander Endgame and everything they came after. Look at Highlander 2. The TV series was never exactly what I would call prestige television. It was a B-grade syndicated series. Everything that came after the original was mediocre at best.

It wasn't prestige television, but a lot of the episodes actually had better plots than the first movie. It had iconic characters like Joe Dawson, Amanda, and Mythos. The show delved into different sides of immortality, and it wasn't always black and white. It didn't have the big budget of the first movie, but I am amazed at some of the visuals they were able to capture in the flashbacks while filming mostly in Vancouver and France for half of the seasons. Honestly, I think its the best thing to come out of Highlander. It expanded the world in a logical way for the time period it was made in, and the show got better and better until season six (when it nose dived off of a cliff).

 

[JoshB1980]

The only major difference between the "Highlander" films and TV show (aside from the much better writing), is that the censors at the time didn't want to show actual beheadings. So usually, Duncan or another Immortal would swing their sword at the camera, and then the shot would switch to the aftermath.

 

[blueharvest]

 

[Dave McFly]

YES!

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Oh man so it’s finally happening!

 

[Breogan]

Still hoping we get Javier Bardem as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez

 

[elgaz]

Still hoping we get Javier Bardem as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez

That would be great.

I also have feeling 6"5 Joe Manganiello could play a scary-ass Kurgan.

 

[Sawyer]

I don’t feel strongly enough about Highlander to say what they should or shouldn’t be doing, but IMO this song is non-negotiable…

 

[Lily Adler]

That would be great.

I also have feeling 6"5 Joe Manganiello could play a scary-ass Kurgan.
View attachment 95916

The amount of shirtless scenes in this film alone will make this a must watch for thirsty wine moms.

 

[Pennywise]

Henry Cavill Will Play a 500-Year-Old Martial Artist In New Action-Heavy 'Highlander' Reboot

Henry Cavill will get to show off his action chops once again in another iconic franchise.

thedirect.com

The filmmaker revealed that the story will be set in "beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong," teasing that it's "a bit of a love story, but not how you think:"

"... And we're bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong, and seeing how it goes. There's big opportunity for action. There's a chance to play a character that not a lot of people get to play. And it's a bit of a love story, but not how you think. On 'John Wick,' I learned a lot on how to bend the storytelling a little... another kind of myth."

He went on to note that his selling point to Henry Cavill was the main character's intense character arc as someone who has "been alive for over 500 years" as a veteran martial artist:

"My selling point was, to [Henry Cavill], look, you've got a guy that's been alive for over 500 years. 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. And you get to experience someone that's trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts..."

Stahelski also revealed that they hope to begin principal photography "by Spring [2025]."

 

[Deck Rickard]

But how will Cavill have time to film this when he’s appearing in multiple Marvel movies?

 

[Sawyer]

So if Stahelski is doing John Wick 5, I’m guessing this got pushed back…?

 

[elgaz]

So if Stahelski is doing John Wick 5, I’m guessing this got pushed back…?

Was meant to begin filming in Jan but pushed back 4 months to May

 

[Deck Rickard]

Poor Henry. At least he has that Warhammer series that will never materialize.

 

[elgaz]

Poor Henry. At least he has that Warhammer series that will never materialize.

He’s filming Voltron in Australia currently

 

[Pennywise]

Amazon, UA, Scott Stuber In Final Negotiations To Land ‘Highlander’ Rights; Henry Cavill To Star With Chad Stahelski Directing

Amazon MGM Studios' United Artists and Scott Stuber are in final negotiations to secure the rights to remake of 'Highlander'

t.co

 

[Pennywise]

https://collider.com/highlander-reboot-filming-update-release-window-henry-cavill-chad-stahelski/

Speaking to Collider's Aidan Kelley alongside producer Josh Oreck, Stahelski opened up on when fans could expect the film, which he is starting prep work on imminently.

“If everything works out in the next 24 hours, we'll be shooting sometime in September. And in 2027 or 2028, you’ll be watching Highlander.”

 

[elgaz]

Cool. I'm curious to see how they modernise Highlander. I love the original but still have to concede it's cheesy in some places and showing its age a little, however the concept is still super interesting.

I'd like to see more of the variety of fighting styles MacLeod is bound to have learnt over 500 years roaming the world as an immortal warrior. And what kind of accent he will have - obviously Scottish starting off, but 500 years later, having lived in many countries, will it be a kind of transatlantic American thing or something neutral?

 

[Pennywise]

Why ‘Highlander’ Left Lionsgate for Amazon as the Studio Bets Big on ’80s IP

An insider's look at how "Highlander" came to leave Lionsgate for Amazon MGM as the streamer collects 1980s IP.

www.thewrap.com

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah for a guy who wants to do big, high-profile action movies, Cavill hasn’t had many hits. I liked Ungentlemanly Warfare but that thing flopped so hard that it was on-demand like a week after it premiered in theaters. And Argylle was absolute garbage (not his fault but whatever star power he may have didn’t sell tickets). Maybe Voltron will fare better.

 

[elgaz]

Yeah for a guy who wants to do big, high-profile action movies, Cavill hasn’t had many hits. I liked Ungentlemanly Warfare but that thing flopped so hard that it was on-demand like a week after it premiered in theaters. And Argylle was absolute garbage (not his fault but whatever star power he may have didn’t sell tickets). Maybe Voltron will fare better.

Argylle was rubbish for sure. Though tbf, he had less of a role in that than I expected, it was very much Howard and Rockwell leading the film though the trailers made it seem like Cavill was in it a lot - in the end, he had a whole 10 mins of screentime.

I liked Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare but it just didn't click with audiences enough. The cast seemed like they were having a blast and I liked that Cavill stepped out of his more brooding Witcher/Superman guise and had a bit of fun with it.

Not sure if it's a reflection of his star power, or just unlucky/poor choices of projects by him and his agent. Whenever I see references to Superman in social media, he always seems to get mentioned and there's a lot of positivity towards him, but I guess that doesn't always translate into bums on cinema seats. Those films above were kinda ensemble pieces, as was JL, so will be interesting to see if a lead role in something like Highlander changes his fortunes.

 

[Lily Adler]

Yeah for a guy who wants to do big, high-profile action movies, Cavill hasn’t had many hits. I liked Ungentlemanly Warfare but that thing flopped so hard that it was on-demand like a week after it premiered in theaters. And Argylle was absolute garbage (not his fault but whatever star power he may have didn’t sell tickets). Maybe Voltron will fare better.

He and Gal Gadot are starting to learn how much Superman and Wonder Woman opened up doors for them.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Argylle was rubbish for sure. Though tbf, he had less of a role in that than I expected, it was very much Howard and Rockwell leading the film though the trailers made it seem like Cavill was in it a lot - in the end, he had a whole 10 mins of screentime.

I liked Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare but it just didn't click with audiences enough. The cast seemed like they were having a blast and I liked that Cavill stepped out of his more brooding Witcher/Superman guise and had a bit of fun with it.

Not sure if it's a reflection of his star power, or just unlucky/poor choices of projects by him and his agent. Whenever I see references to Superman in social media, he always seems to get mentioned and there's a lot of positivity towards him, but I guess that doesn't always translate into bums on cinema seats. Those films above were kinda ensemble pieces, as was JL, so will be interesting to see if a lead role in something like Highlander changes his fortunes.

Yeah, the Argylle trailers made it look like he was a co-lead, but he was barely in it. To be fair, I thought he did well whenever he showed up but it was strange that they marketed so much of the movie around him, especially since Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard are probably bigger names. Regardless of all that though, that movie was never going to be profitable given the price tag and how awful it was.

Ungentlemanly Warfare was a lot of fun but I feel it was held back from being a great movie because (much like Inglorious Basterds, the movie it didn’t shy away from trying to emulate) the rest of the main crew needed to be as cool and fun as Cavill, Ritchson and Gonzalez were. The other guys were barely memorable. A movie like that needs a host of fun, quirky characters (you would think that Guy Ritchie of all people would realize this).

Anyway, none of that is Cavill’s fault but like you said, the movies themselves didn’t seem to appeal to mainstream audiences (one because it was bad and the other because it just wasn’t what people were interested in). And unfortunately for Cavill, he’s just not enough of a draw on his own to get people to pay attention to a movie they probably wouldn’t bother with otherwise.

I think he has a better chance with Voltron, since that’s an adaptation people have wanted for a long time (myself included). Unless it sucks, which it might since Red Notice Guy is directing it. Highlander though… honestly, I don’t know. It’s a weird franchise that has honestly never been great. The original is fun 1980s sci-fi/fantasy cheese but I wouldn’t call it amazing by any means. And the sequels and TV show ranged from okay to awful. And most of all, I don’t think there are a lot of people out there who are craving more Highlander. But I guess we’ll see.

 

[elgaz]

Yeah, the Argylle trailers made it look like he was a co-lead, but he was barely in it. To be fair, I thought he did well whenever he showed up but it was strange that they marketed so much of the movie around him, especially since Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard are probably bigger names. Regardless of all that though, that movie was never going to be profitable given the price tag and how awful it was.

Ungentlemanly Warfare was a lot of fun but I feel it was held back from being a great movie because (much like Inglorious Basterds, the movie it didn’t shy away from trying to emulate) the rest of the main crew needed to be as cool and fun as Cavill, Ritchson and Gonzalez were. The other guys were barely memorable. A movie like that needs a host of fun, quirky characters (you would think that Guy Ritchie of all people would realize this).

Anyway, none of that is Cavill’s fault but like you said, the movies themselves didn’t seem to appeal to mainstream audiences (one because it was bad and the other because it just wasn’t what people were interested in). And unfortunately for Cavill, he’s just not enough of a draw on his own to get people to pay attention to a movie they probably wouldn’t bother with otherwise.

I think he has a better chance with Voltron, since that’s an adaptation people have wanted for a long time (myself included). Unless it sucks, which it might since Red Notice Guy is directing it. Highlander though… honestly, I don’t know. It’s a weird franchise that has honestly never been great. The original is fun 1980s sci-fi/fantasy cheese but I wouldn’t call it amazing by any means. And the sequels and TV show ranged from okay to awful. And most of all, I don’t think there are a lot of people out there who are craving more Highlander. But I guess we’ll see.

Highlander is an enigma for sure. The original has become something of a cult icon, but it’s a very flawed film and certainly wasn’t a critically loved film even when new. Some of the dialogue was very cheesy, there are plotholes, questionable casting choices when it came to accents, and it has a few pacing issues. But what makes it work, for me anyway, is the overall concept and the charisma and ability of the 3 main immortals actors, Connery, Clancy & Lambert. I liked how the film wasn’t shy in showing that being immortal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when you outlive your loved ones. And the exploration of some different time eras. Those are things which a modern reboot could really delve into in more detail. There’s also the memorable soundtrack from Queen, which really lifted the whole tone of the film.

The sequels were awful to the point that I’ve only rewatched them once and have no desire to do so again. Even the whole concept of a sequel goes against the fundamental hook of the first film, that there can be only one immortal left standing at the end.

I liked the TV series, though rewatching it in recent times really hammers home the limited budget they had. We are a bit spoilt with production quality on modern shows.

 

[DarkKnight88]

I’m actually most curious what Chad Stahelski brings, I think all his John Wicks have been excellent, but this is the first time he’s directed something non-John Wick. What he and his stunt team can do with the action (all those swords) I’m fascinated with, but can he also bring the heart without a Keanu Reeves as your lead.