If there can be only one, Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment have apparently decided that John Wick co-director Chad Stahelski is the one.
Stahelski will reportedly direct the upcoming reboot of Highlander, the 1986 film about an immortal Scottish swordsman forced to duel against other immortals throughout time. The original spawned a five-film franchise and a popular live-action television series, among other projects.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studios are currently searching for a screenwriter to take on the project, which was been in development since 2008. An early version of the reboot was envisioned with Tom Cruise in mind to take on a supporting role similar to the one played by Sean Connery in the 1986 film. The Huntsman: Winter’s War director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan was attached to that iteration of the film.
“I’ve been a huge fan of the original property since I saw it in high school,” said Stahelski in a statement accompanying the studio announcement. “Such great themes of immortality, love, and identity are all wrapped up in such colorful mythology. I can’t think of a better property that gives the opportunity to create interesting characters, mythic themes and action set pieces.”
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the original Highlander starred Christopher Lambert as the immortal Connor MacLeod, Connery as the immortal Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez, and Clancy Brown as the vicious immortal known as The Kurgan. The film follows Connor from his early days in the Scottish highlands through to his encounter with The Kurgan in 1985 New York City.
The movie — and subsequent television series — famously featured original songs created for Highlander by the band Queen, including “A Kind of Magic” and the series’ theme song, “Princes of the Universe.”
There’s no timetable for development of the Highlander reboot at this point.
