(Left) Jeremy Irons stars as Wallace Westwyld in director David Ayer’s ‘The Beekeeper,’ an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo Credit: Daniel Smith. © 2024 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Right) Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Preview:
- Jeremy Irons is boarding the new ‘Highlander’.
- Henry Cavill is starring alongside Russell Crowe.
- Chad Stahelski is in the director’s chair.
Though the cameras may not have started rolling last month as originally planned thanks to star Henry Cavill injuring himself during training, the ‘Highlander’ reboot is still moving forward, aiming to begin production early next year.
And the latest piece of casting has been announced via The Hollywood Reporter, as Jeremy Irons –– who was an antagonist in ‘The Beekeeper’ and is set to reprise the role in the sequel and is on our screens as the troubled law professor father of Jennifer Aniston’s character in ‘The Morning Show’, has joined the movie to play a villain.
Irons joins a cast that also already includes Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, ‘Black Bag’s Marisa Abela and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista, who is aboard as a version of the villainous Kurgan
When it does finally kick off, shooting is scheduled to take place in Scotland, England, and other locales such as Hong Kong.
Related Article: Karen Gillan Joins the Ensemble of Chad Stahelski’s ‘Highlander’ Movie
What was the story of ‘Highlander’?
(L to R) Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod and Clancy Brown as The Kurgan in ‘Highlander’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The 1988 original revolves around Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), a Scottish Highlander born in the 16th Century who is somehow immortal. He has survived through the centuries, and learns from Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), that he is part of a race of many who can only die when beheaded.
The power of the slain immortal is absorbed into the victor, and they are all competing for “The Prize” –– enough power to rule Earth forever. Connor’s biggest threat is the Kurgan, a murderous brute of an immortal who wants that power for himself and Connor must face him at an event known as The Gathering.
There can, as the tagline famously reads, only be one.
Stahelski on the story for the new movie
Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
Here’s what Stahelski had to say about the plot and changes:
“We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There’s big opportunity for action… and it’s a bit of a love story — but not how you think.”
The script for the new movie has so far seen work from Ryan J. Condal, Michael Finch and Kerry Williamson.
Finch’s script is the most recent draft, and it is taking some diversions from the original as it builds out a more complex and deeper world.
Cavill is MacLeod, with Crowe as a version of Ramirez. Bautista is playing the Kurgan, the movie’s top villain, while Gillan is MacLeod’s Scottish and very mortal wife. Djimon Hounsou is an immortal warrior from Africa, while Abela is MacLeod’s modern romantic interest. Max Zhang and Drew McIntyre are also in the cast, with McIntyre taking the role of Cavill’s brother.
Irons will be the movie’s other antagonist, the leader of a secret order called The Watchers, who are keeping an eye on the immortals and see them as a threat to humanity.
When will the new ‘Highlander’ be on screens?
Amazon MGM Studios has yet to confirm a release date for the movie, and it may yet appear later given the production delay.
(L to R) Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez and Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in 1986’s ‘Highlander.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Highlander’ Franchise:
Buy ‘Highlander’ Movies On Amazon