Latest news with #ChadStahelski
Geek Culture
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Highlander' Reboot Reteams Russell Crowe And Henry Cavill
There can only be one, unless you're Russell Crowe. The Oscar winner will star opposite Henry Cavill in the forthcoming Highlander reboot, stepping into the role of his mentor, originally played by Sean Connery ( James Bond films) in the 1986 movie (via Collider). John Wick director Chad Stahelski is helming the project, which began production this January after being in various stages of development for nearly 10 years. It marks a reunion between the filmmaker and Michael Finch, known for John Wick: Chapter 4 , who is penning the script. While story specifics are still kept under wraps, Stahelski shared that the remake is being brought forward from 'the early 1500s in the highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong' with a 'big opportunity for action'. 'So you get to cover quite a broad spread of a character arc there. And you get to experience someone that's trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts,' Stahelski added, referring to Cavill's character. Starring Christopher Lambert ( Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes ) as protagonist Connor MacLeod, and Connery, the original cult classic chronicles the climax of an age-old war between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and present-day storylines. It was a commercial failure on its initial theatrical release, but has since grown into a beloved title with several film sequels and TV spin-offs. Stahelski's version of Highlander is tentatively slated for 2026. In the meantime, Cavill will be busy with Amazon's Warhammer 40K series adaptation, which currently doesn't have a release date. Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Henry Cavill Highlander Highlander Reboot Russell Crowe
Geek Tyrant
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Russell Crowe Joins Henry Cavill in Chad Stahelski's HIGHLANDER Reboot — GeekTyrant
Russell Crowe is officially suiting up for sword-swinging immortality. The Oscar-winning actor has joined the cast of Chad Stahelski's Highlander reboot, taking on the iconic Ramirez mentor role originally played by Sean Connery in the 1986 cult classic. He'll star opposite Henry Cavill, who's already been set as the film's lead. Crowe and Cavil previously appeared in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, so this project is a little reunion for the duo. This new Highlander is coming from Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists for a full theatrical release, with John Wick mastermind Stahelski behind the camera. The script is written by Michael Finch, and the team is aiming for a a fresh, full-throttle experience. For those new to the mythology, the original Highlander , directed by Russell Mulcahy, followed a centuries-spanning battle between immortal warriors, blending historical flashbacks with gritty present-day sword duels. It became a fan-fueled franchise with multiple sequels, a long-running TV series, and more than a few legendary lines. Yes, there can be only one, but clearly, there can also be reboots. Stahelski seems to be playing the long game. United Artists has secured full rights to the 1986 original, previously developed by Lionsgate, and there's already talk of expanding into a new series down the road. Crowe is next appearing in Nuremberg , alongside Rami Malek and Michael Shannon, dropping November 7. He's also wrapped up a Netflix thriller called Unabom , Walden Media's Cold War drama Billion Dollar Spy , and the Derrick Borte-directed action flick Bear Country . The director also previously teased the action in the film and explained that it will be inspired by the action in the John Wick films. "I'll keep it to the core. Most audiences, I'll use the gun analogy, most of what you know about gunfights or car chases because most of us don't get involved in gun fights, or car chases, or sword fights, we learn through movies.' "And what those movies show you is about 95% bullshit. You don't fight 50 guys with your bare hands and then walk away, but it's fun. It's wish fulfillment. 'So John Wick, we know it's a cartoon – I know it's not – but we also have fun with it. But we do tactical reloads, we try to do fire manipulations, stuff like the professionals do, the military do. But then we have fun with it, you know? Sword work is very much the same."' Cavill previously shared how big of a fan his is of the franchise and then said that the script for the film is 'extraordinary' and that the movie will take some 'big swings.' He said: "I am a Highlander fan, they're great fun movies. Obviously I watched them when I was a lot younger and have since rewatched, but also the TV show. 'I really enjoyed the lore behind it, that sense of a tragic warrior with more of a story to tell than a cool guy with a sword, doing cool things, and this goes even deeper into that. "What they've done so far and we're doing with the development of the script is extraordinary, I think people are going to be really, really pleased. 'Big swings are important, you play it safe, you're going to just go, 'Eh, I suppose it's fine?" but if you take a big swing, people love it or they hate it." Stahelski also previously talked about the movie, saying it will include both familiar characters and "elements" taken from the '90s TV series. "We're looking to do our story [and it] engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that. But we've also brought in elements of all the TV shows. We're trying to do a bit of a prequel setup to The Gathering.' 'We have ideas for days about how to make the coolest characters and to make that an epic TV show. I just think that's a rich, rich mythology." Stahelski also explained that they are taking the best story elements from across the franchise and implementing it all into one story that will be spread out across a trilogy of films: "I think the TV series hit on a lot of great stuff wasn't in the feature, between the watchers and all the different types of immortals. How do we get this into a feature mode before we dribble it into the TV world? 'Well, let's restructure it in parts, let's look at it like it was a TV show, let's look at it like it was a high-end trilogy. How to we tell the story of The Gathering, The Quickenings, The Immortals and how do we really build this world out even more so than the original project? 'That's what we're restructuring right now. It's taking all the good stuff that we had before I was involved in the project from the script; redeveloping the script to give us really good chapters one, two and three; and expanding the world." He also talked about his vision for the film, saying: " The vision we're trying to get across and what we're trying to develop, I equate very close to Star Wars. The first one is a very satisfying ending but it does leave the door open and that's kind of how I see this. 'I would really like to expand it over three. I see The Gathering happening over three. It's tricky, don't get me wrong, that's why we're still developing it. We want to be able to tell three complete stories that all kind of fit. 'I think the Star Wars trilogy, at least up to The Empire Strikes Back, is a good example of how we want to process it." I very excited about this Highlander reboot and I hope that it delivers something awesome. Source: Deadline
Gizmodo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Russell Crowe Lends His Russell Crowe-ness to ‘Highlander'
After years of false starts, the next Highlander movie is finally coming from director Chad Stahelski and with Henry Cavill in the lead role. Cavill's been the only casting we've known about for some time, but now we know his former movie dad, Russell Crowe, is along for the ride. Per Collider, Crowe will play a 'key role' opposite Cavill, who's still expected to be playing immortal warrior Connor MacLeod. As for Crowe, that's a little tougher to determine; some outlets (like Deadline) have claimed he'll be playing a new version of Ramirez, Connor's mentor previously portrayed by Sean Connery. Meanwhile, Collider noted that or the first film's big bad Kurgan (played in the original by Clancy Brown) as likely picks. Both of them feel like roles Crowe could play pretty well, don't you think? Alternatively, it could be a brand-new character: Stahelski's previously indicated this new Highlander would go 'beyond' present day locations like Hong Kong and New York and feature 'another kind of myth.' If Lionsgate and Amazon MGM want to make more of these, having some new characters to play around with would help shake things up for those expecting a straight remake. Amazon's Road House from 2024 did this, and it's getting a sequel, so there's a blueprint to work with here. Either way, the new Highlander is said to begin filming in October. No word yet on a release window, but it'll be hitting theaters. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Russell Crowe confirms 'Highlander' casting
June 21 (UPI) -- Oscar-winning Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind and Thor: Love and Thunder star Russell Crowe has joined the ensemble of the new remake of the classic 1986 fantasy film, Highlander. "Yes... it's true... I shall be returning to the highlands... with a sword... it has been a few centuries..." there can be only one," Crowe wrote on X Saturday. The actor's post included a link to a Variety report about the casting news. Crowe will play the mentor to Henry Cavill's Scottish title character in the film about immortal warriors. The movie is being directed by Chad Stahelski and is expected to be released theatrically in 2026. Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery starred in the original.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chad Stahelski's Highlander Movie Just Added Russell Crowe In A Key Role And It's The Man Of Steel Reunion I've Always Wanted
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. When the original Highlander made its way to the big screen in 1986, the film's sweeping ballad from Queen asked the audience 'Who wants to live forever?' Cut to looking ahead from the 2025 movie schedule, and the answer I'm tempted to give is, 'Anyone who wanted to see Henry Cavill's Highlander reboot actually happen.' Well it doesn't seem like it'll be that long before director Chad Stahelski's vision will be in front of us, especially since Russell Crowe has now been drafted into a pretty impressive role. The casting coup, announced by Collider, suggests that Cavill's Kryptonian father from Man of Steel will be playing fellow immortal Ramirez; which is perfect – despite the obvious racial difference. Played by Sean Connery in the original, Ramirez is the man who helps Highlander protagonist Connor MacLeod adjust to the tradition of decimating his fellow immortals, until there's only one. Because, you see, there can only be one. Henry Cavill's role as Connor (originally played by Christopher Lambert) would put him in line to once again learn from the Gladiator legend, and potentially for longer than they worked together in Man of Steel. Which, again, is a reason to get excited about Russell Crowe's potential place in this new round of beheadings. And that's on top of Highlander's supposed attention to lore that's excited its geeky lead in the past. Admittedly, that's the sort of news that distracts one from wondering about Highlander's previous budget concerns, which saw the film fall into limbo before Amazon-MGM Studios stepped in. What's even more fun to ponder is how, after watching the trailer for 1986's Highlander, it sounds like Sean Connery saying some things that Crowe may or may not have said in Zack Snyder's 2013 DC reboot. Take a look for yourself, and tell me I'm wrong: Look, if Chad Stahelski doesn't at least consider Adam Lambert and Queen for the soundtrack to Highlander's reboot, what are we even doing here? If Russell Crowe's casting does happen to be for Ramirez, he and Henry Cavill have clearly shown their love for the original film's spirit. That only makes my hypothetical suggestion above more valid, because who else are you going to trust with 'Princes of the Universe?' I thought so. At the moment, there's still a lot of moving pieces in play for Highlander to happen. With production aiming to start this fall, there's a chance that 2026 or 2027 will see the next era of these immortals hitting the big screen. That is, of course, if Mr. Cavill's Warhammer 40,000 adaptation doesn't get in the way. So now with two thirds of the major characters seemingly cast, one question will be occupying our minds until it's answered: who in the hell is going to play the Kurgan?!
