“If you think you’ve seen me do sword work before, you haven’t seen anything yet.” — Henry Cavill at CinemaCon
After re-watching the first three Highlander movies, I am now watching the “Highlander” TV series, with Adrian Paul’s ‘Duncan MacLeod’ taking center stage from Christopher Lambert’s ‘Connor MacLeod’. I am trying to (re-)watch it all in chronological order, so after the TV series I will eventually follow up with the final two Highlander movies.
But, before that all happens, the new Highlander will likely premiere in theaters (2026?), starring Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, “The Witcher”) as ‘Connor MacLeod’. Since this has been in the news off-and-on for the past few years, I’ve given some thought about what I hope director Chad Stahelski (John Wick films), Cavill, and the writers, can deliver. (Note: I watched a YT video that said the “reboot” would be more prequel-ish, borrowing from some elements of the films and TV series. But, I’m not sure of the videomaker’s sources, so I’m just going to assume it will be a remake/re-telling of sorts of the original story.)
Aside from a decent storyline in general, good acting, and nice F/X, here are a few story elements and other things that I’m hoping for:
1) I doubt it will be the exact same series of scenes/events as we saw in the original Highlander, and that’s understandable. But, I would at least hope that there are certain homages that the older fans will appreciate. Keep the basic tone of the original, as well, along with occasional memory flashbacks.
2) Retain the original lore behind the immortals, though some corrections or improvements could be made — e.g., to clarify re effects of the Quickening, nature of “The Prize”, etc. I am hoping for a bit more consistency than we saw in the original productions. (And I’m not even referring to the accursed second film.)
3) Retain MacLeod’s origins, history, and personality (e.g., early fun-loving, later aloofness).
4) Give MacLeod a proper Scottish accent, at least at first. It’s entirely plausible that he might mask it later on, or that it would have “weakened” over time from living in other areas of the world. But, even a generic British accent would be better (and more believable) for a Scotsman than Lambert’s French one.
5) Give MacLeod a proper Highlander fighting style, at least in his early years and flashbacks. He might learn and perhaps mix in other styles — both armed and unarmed martial arts — over the decades and centuries. (I think Adrian Paul threw in some Taekwondo or Kung Fu moves for ‘Duncan’.)
6) Hire an actual Egyptian to play Tak Ne (aka “Ramirez”), or at least someone who looks the part more than Connery did. Possibly, Ashraf Abdel Baky? Oded Fehr (born in Israel) is the right age (50s), as well.
7) We need a couple more fights (Kurgan vs. ???; MacLeod vs. ???), possibly involving another weapon or two besides swords. Also, maybe refer to a couple of near-meetings between the Kurgan and Connor (or Duncan) MacLeod in the past couple of centuries.
8) If they plan out a trilogy, include the Kurgan in all films but keep the final Connor-vs.-Kurgan fight until the third.
9) I would have said to retain some or all of the Queen songs, but that has already been confirmed. (“Probably in a different way than you think, but hardcore yes.” — Chad Stahelski)
10) Maybe hire on original creator Gregory Widen as co-writer or at least consultant. (He is listed as one of the executive producers, but that doesn’t mean he has an active role in the production. And he doesn’t currently have a writing credit.)
That’s about it. Remakes/reboots are often disappointing, but I am cautiously optimistic about this one. I think Stahelski and Cavill have what it takes to make it great, so… fingers (metaphorically) crossed.
P.S. Last minute thought… Since ‘Connor’ is now taller and more muscular, they need to be sure that the new ‘Kurgan’ (assuming there will be one) is even more imposing. One possibility is Robert Maillet (6’10.75″,b.1969), the wrestler-turned-actor who has competed under the nom de guerre of “Kurrgan” — assuming he is up for the required swordfighting and other physical training. Other possibilities include Joe Manganiello (6’5″,b.1976) and Daniel Cudmore (6’6.5″,b.1981).
Heroes and Aliens 