The long-awaited Highlander reboot from John Wick director Chad Stahelski has added another immortal to its ranks. Variety reports that Russell Crowe has signed on to the movie; he'll be playing a seasoned immortal warrior who serves as the mentor to the lead character played by Henry Cavill. If you're keeping track, that means Crowe will be assuming a new version of the mentor character played by Sean Connery in the 1986 film.
The original Highlander movie starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, an immortal swordsman hailing from the 16th century Scottish highlands. Through flashbacks, the viewer sees how MacLeod discovered he was an immortal and was subsequently taught by a Spanish swordsman named Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez (Connery). These immortal warriors can only be killed by being decapitated; if another immortal is the one who does the deed, they gain the power of their fallen foe through a transfer of power known as the Quickening. Immortals have been swordfighting in the shadows for centuries, with the belief that eventually, "there can be only one" of them left.
Highlander is a cult movie that birthed multiple sequels as well as a spinoff show in the 1990s which starred Adrian Paul as Connor's relative, Duncan MacLeod. Some of the Highlander sequel movies went pretty far off the rails, but the original retains a certain charm and the TV show was often pretty entertaining. I've been more than a little curious to see what Stahelski and Cavill will bring to this new iteration of the franchise.
I'm also curious about Crowe. With movies like Gladiator and Master & Commander under his belt, it's very easy to imagine him fitting right into the new Highlander. The big question I have is whether he'll be playing Ramirez and Cavill will be playing Connor MacLeod, or if they'll be fresh characters who simply fill the same sort of roles. Details are extremely sparse on Highlander as of right now, so we'll have to wait and see.
Highlander will start filming in September 2025
We also finally have an idea of when the movie is slated to start filming. This Highlander reboot has been in the works for years; we first reported on it in 2021, and since then it's gotten delayed time and again as Cavill and Stahelski have worked on other projects. Even a few months ago, it was reported that Highlander was delayed yet again, and was changing studios from Lionsgate to United Artists, a studio owned by Amazon MGM.
Despite all the delays, it looks like filming plans for Highlander are finally crystallizing. Earlier in June, Collider reported that they had learned from their sources that the movie is currently scheduled to start filming in September of this year. Normally we take these sorts of information leaks with a grain of salt, but Collider is a reputable enough outlet that it's likely accurate. With the news of Crowe being cast, it feels like the movie is moving into proper pre-production.
It's good news for fans of Highlander, as well as fans of Cavill's turn on The Witcher, where he did some pretty impressive sword work as monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. I'd expect to learn plenty more about the movie during the next few months. As for when we'll get to watch it, my guess would be late 2026 or even 2027, depending on how long filming takes.
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