“There can be only one…” still hits, even after nearly four decades. Now it’s Henry Cavill’s turn to swing the sword. The first images are here and everyone’s already singing Queen’s “Princes of the Universe”.
Chad Stahelski’s Highlander reboot is officially moving, and Cavill marked the moment by dropping the first two images on Instagram. “Happy First Look for Highlander! This has been quite the journey for me, which I’ll tell you all about when the time is right, but it’s a special moment to be able to share this. I hope you enjoy. #Highlander”
Production kicked off this month in London after a stretch of delays that felt eternal. The plan was late 2024. Then January 2025. Then Stahelski had Ballerina to finish. Then Cavill picked up an injury during pre-production training. Now, in 2026 and the cameras are finally rolling again. And judging by the first images, it might be worth the wait.
We all know that Stahelski doesn’t do small. After turning John Wick into a billion-dollar operation, he wanted $180 million to bring Highlander back from the grave. Lionsgate didn’t like that number, but Amazon did. So Amazon/MGM stepped in, wrote the cheque, and took the keys and the swords. Delays tend to make budgets grow, so don’t be shocked if that number climbs much higher.
The original 1986 Highlander film became a cult staple and then promptly ran itself into the ground with three sequels most fans pretend never happened. They were so bad that the Highlander: The Series, starring Adrian Paul, felt more exciting. This version isn’t interested in nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, thankfully. Written by Michael Finch, the reboot leans into expanded mythology and precision action. Stahelski’s style all but guarantees that the swordplay won’t look like people gently tapping metal sticks together.
The cast is really impressive, too! Phew! Russell Crowe, Jeremy Irons, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Dave Bautista, Max Zhang, Kevin McKidd, and Drew McIntyre are all in the mix. That’s a long list of great actors.
A theatrical release hasn’t been locked, though 2027 or 2028 keeps coming up. Either way, Highlander is finally happening.
