Highlander reboot with Henry Cavill “closer than we’ve ever been”

Between The Witcher, the Enola Holmes sequel, and more, Henry Cavill is a very busy guy. But he’s even busier in theory, as his name is attached to a litany of high-profile projects that may or may not exist. For instance, there have been rumors going around for a long time that Cavill will once again play Superman on the big screen, but those have never panned out. With the DC Extended Universe now in yet another rebuilding phase, it’s probably best to give up on that dream.

Something that’s a little more solid is Cavill’s inclusion in an upcoming reboot of the Highlander franchise, which began in 1986 with a movie about immortals going around the globe killing each other, because “there can only be one.” That always seemed like a bad policy to me. I know that the last immortal standing gets “the Prize,” but is that worth losing your immortal buddies? Why can’t there be two? Or three? Hell, keep the whole gang around.

Anyway, John Wick director Chad Stahelski has been trying to get a Highlander reboot off the ground for a while now, and he wants Cavill in the lead role. “Henry obviously has the physicality, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot if you can’t also carry the empathy of a character that’s lived 500 years, and I needed somebody who could do both,” he told The Hollywood Reporter last year. “The character’s arc spans hundreds of years and he becomes many different personalities, all of which extend the timeline of his emotional growth.”

"Then during our first meeting, my suspicions were confirmed: Henry was immediately riffing on the idea of the burden of immortality and you could see in his eyes that he can transform himself from being a young, vibrant soul to an old, wise soul. He had this combination I was fascinated by. The other thing you could see was his genuineness – he really loves the property and loves what he believes he can do with it, and when an actor has that level of passion, you’re going to get something unique. And finally – you’ve met him, you know – after 10 minutes you’re just like: ‘He’s cool, I want to hang out with this guy.’"

Will Henry Cavill star in Highlander reboot?

That all sounds great, but we haven’t heard much about the movie since. Speaking to Collider, Stahelski assured fans that it’s still en route. “We’re in the process of tweaking right now,” the director said. “I think we know what we want. More importantly than anything, we know what we want to make. It’s in the creatives. We know what we’re trying to make. It’s just a matter of getting it to the point where we feel, ‘Okay, this is it. Let’s go.’ But we’re closer than we’ve ever been, so that’s good.”

And Henry Cavill’s theoretical dance card gets even more packed.

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