The Highlander cannot die! After originally being set up at Lionsgate as a potential new universe of movies from the director of the “John Wick” series, director Chad Stahelski‘s remake of the 1980s cult film “Highlander” is changing sides.
Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists, as led by former Netflix film chief Scott Stuber, are in final negotiations to secure the rights to remake a new version of “Highlander,” again with the aim to release the film in theaters.
Instead of yet another new take on it, Stahelski is still attached to direct, and “Man of Steel” star Henry Cavill is still attached to star (looks like all of that sword training he told CinemaCon crowds he was doing won’t go to waste). Michael Finch (“John Wick: Chapter 4”) is writing the screenplay. United Artists too still has hopes that the film could be developed into a larger new series.
“Highlander” is a fantasy epic about an immortal Scottish swordsman from the 16th century who now must fight his final battle with another immortal warrior in the modern day, a murderous barbarian chasing the “prize.” The film was directed by Russell Mulcahy, starred Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, and spawned some sequels and a TV series after growing in popularity since its initial release. While never a critic’s darling, the original especially has become a cult hit from ’80s action nerds. Stahelski likely counts himself among them, as he’s been developing a reboot as far back as 2016.
UA’s Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt will produce alongside Neal H. Moritz (“Fast & Furious” franchise), and 87Eleven Entertainment, Stahelski’s production banner.
Cavill is also starring in an adaptation of the anime series “Voltron” for director Rawson Marshall Thurber at Amazon, and he’s developing the “Warhammer 40,000” franchise across Amazon MGM Studios as well. Fans will be eager to see him back in the sword play mode after he left “The Witche.r”
While Stuber still has some projects awaiting release at Netflix such as Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and at 20th Century Studios the Bruce Springsteen biopic “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” he’s kicked off the relaunched United Artists with “Kill Your Darlings” starring Julia Roberts, and another film from Edward Berger based on the forthcoming memoir from Evan Gershkovich about his time being imprisoned in Russia for over a year.
Cavill is represented by WME and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Stahelski is represented by WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Finch is represented by Verve Talent and Literary Agency and Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo.
