DAYS OF FUTURE PAST? HIGHLANDER REBOOT’S TIMELINE…

It looks as if some of the Highlander reboot will not be set in either the past or the current present. Photos from the set in Hong Kong would seem to depict that at least some of the scenes will take place in 2040, or – at least – on New Year’s Eve 2039.

The Highlander franchise has had decidedly mixed results when depicting future days in its stories. The Highlander 2 movie was set in what was then the future year of 2024, the television series (running from 1992 to 1998) was considering a major jump forward after the tragic events of the fifth season finale (but decided not to do so when a foreshortened season commission came in) and The Source‘s post-apocalyptic scenario didn’t go down well with fans. The animated series – aimed at a much younger age-group – was set in the 27th Century. More impressive was The Search for Vengeance, the animated film set in 2187, but its anime style was something that divided the fanbase, though it was far enough removed not to mess with any other continuity.

However, the reboot’s choice only moves the needle a decade or so ahead and so it could work well – perhaps indicating a few subtle global changes and tweaks but nothing quite so disastrous or extreme as a wholesale apocalypse of previous chapters!

So far, the reboot film – which began lensing its first scenes back in January – has filmed in England, Scotland, Poland and now the Hong Kong shoot. Reports say the Hong Kong shoot ran to about a week between 13th – 16th August and took in locations around Peel Street (with added neon signs, doubling for Lan Kwai Fong, the main bar district), the Hung Hom promenade and The Center skyscraper.  One scene observed by locals saw an injured MacLeod narrowly missing getting hit by a taxi.

As well as Cavill, Max Zhang (the eastern actor who starred in IP Man Legacy, IP Man 3 in his first role after undergoing heart surgery) was also on set. The action choreography had some major talent on board, including veteran Dion Lam (The Matrix, Spiderman 2), Local Stunt Coordinator Bruce Law (Extreme Crisis, and the upcoming Caine with Donnie Yen ) and JJ Perry (Night Shift etc.)

Various amateur bloggers also caught images…

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