Chad Stahelski discussed his upcoming reboot of ‘Highlander,’ starring Henry Cavill, during a recent chat with The Direct. He revealed, “We’re bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong, and seeing how it goes.”
“There’s a big opportunity for action,” the director added. “There’s a chance to play a character that a lot of people don’t get to play. And it’s a bit of a love story, but not how you think. On ‘John Wick,’ I learned a lot on how to bend the storytelling a little.”
The ‘Highlander’ franchise kicked off in 1986 with Christopher Lambert leading the cast as Connor MacLeod. Stahelski’s remarks raised concerns among longtime fans, many of whom already had doubts about the reboot.
Comments on Facebook questioned why the movie would not take place in the Scottish Highlands as the title implied. Some accepted the setting change on the condition of getting writing, acting, and directorship good enough to honor the original.
Several people asked for the reboot to make references to the lore from the original film and the 1992 TV show; while warning against including any storylines from ‘Highlander II: The Quickening.’
The 1991 sequel has been widely criticized for its alien-based plot since its release. It holds a very low rating on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.
With that in mind, how Stahelski’s ‘Highlander’ will turn out is unclear. Still, the production is set to start in early 2025.
