The history of Highlander is a very stop-start process with a flurry of activity and then an era of becalmed confusion. Fans, particularly the long-standing ones, have grown somewhat cynical about whether the much-touted reboot will ever make it to cinemas. But the last year saw serious progress to the extent that Lionsgate and Henry Cavill made a major impression at CinemaCon with the promise that the actor (previously known for the likes of Superman, Mission Impossible and a notable cameo in last year’s Deadpool and Wolverine) was hard at work, training with swords and sword-masters for the role. Stahelski has been attached Highlander for nearly ten years of development and Cavill came onboard in 2021. However, both have had their names attached to various other high-profile projects. Cavill is also attached to the big Warhammer adaptation (the actor being a huge and active fan of the RPG gaming network) and Stahelski has been hard at work on various arms of the John Wick franchise. Some suggested the adventures of an immortal Scotsman might get lost in the shuffle.
The latest news is that star and director are still firmly attached but the project will be leaving Lionsgate and moving to Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists. It appears that the studio is not just associating itself with the reboot but also with the entire back-catalogue of the franchise (at least ther cienmatic arm). Whether this affects the previously-announced intention to expand the reboot out into a trilogy and perhaps even a wider reboot of the franchise (with aspects of the two live-action television series) is not known at this time.
Industry site Deadline reports that the new deal will see Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt (from United Artists) producing, alongside Neal H. Moritz and Stahelski’s 87Eleven Entertainment. The script is being penned by Michael Fench ( John Wick: Chapter 4).
Previous news had suggested a late Spring start for the reboot, but this change in studio – even though a potentially positive one – may once again delay the start-date. Amazon MGM have also been in the news recently as they take control of the James Bond franchise.
