To call the upcoming Highlander reboot one of the most highly anticipated films in recent memory would not be an understatement. The bar is set pretty high, but the Henry Cavill-led feature has had everyone excited, and if everything remains on track, we could be getting the best Highlander film of this century. Since Highlander is a complicated franchise, let's dive into its history, how the reboot came along, and how far in development it actually is. Here's everything we know regarding The Highlander Reboot: Release Date and Cast Details.
The Highlander franchise deals with the past and the present as well as other worlds. But if one were to simplify it, it revolves around the MacLeods, a clan of immortals powered by a mysterious energy who can only be killed if beheaded. Amongst these warriors, it is Connor MacLeod who is the most well-known, and as these eternal warriors battle other immortals across space and time to attain each other’s powers, friends and lovers are lost to both duels and to time, and the dark history behind the clan is revealed.
There have been a total of 5 live-action Highlander films, in addition to an animated movie and a couple of TV shows. While the first four films were theatrically released, the fifth one was direct-to-video, debuting on the Sci-Fi Channel. The first film is widely considered the best, and every sequel that followed diminished in quality. With no Highlander film being a bona fide box office success, it is its cult status amongst die-hard fans that has kept the franchise alive. As a result, the franchise continues to endure, a whopping 30 years after it first debuted.
Aiming to capitalize on the niche appeal of the series, Summit Entertainment (and later Lionsgate) purchased the rights to the franchise in 2008, wanting to develop some sort of big-budget film in the franchise. With the existing films sporting a confusing canon and a disjointed timeline, they settled on a reboot instead, hoping to start things anew. A reboot was also necessary because the second Highlander film messed up the continuity by releasing two cuts of the same story, and because the production value of the films had decreased considerably by the time the fourth and fifth films debuted.
READ NEXT: Mad Max: The Wasteland — What We Know So Far
Thus, talks of a reboot had started some time after the franchise was acquired, and the new film was purported to be titled ‘Highlander: The Reckoning’. Justin Lin came on board as director, and Twilight writer Melissa Rosenberg was to pen the script. This creative duo did not pan out, and soon after, the delays to the project meant Lin dropped out.
Next, 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was signed on as the director to resurrect the film, and Ryan Reynolds was in final talks to play the protagonist Connor MacLeod. The role of the main antagonist, The Kurgan, was offered to both Vinnie Jones and Ray Stevenson. This would fail to fly as well, with the project losing both its director and its main cast as a result of creative differences with the studio.
READ NEXT: James Cameron Is Writing A New Terminator Movie
Another new writer-director duo was then commissioned, and big names such as Tom Cruise and Dave Bautista were thrown around for the protagonist and antagonist roles, respectively. Cruise was never going to do Highlander (he has mostly stayed away from established franchises), and when this creative pairing also failed, Lionsgate found its next helmer in Chad Stahelski. Fresh off the success of John Wick, Stahelski was in high demand across the industry, and his action movie forte meant that he would be a perfect fit for Highlander.
To really sell the film to new audiences and ensure its box office prospects, Lionsgate needed a big star to headline the film. They found the perfect guy in Henry Cavill, fresh off his Superman and Witcher stents. While conversations with Cavill had been going around since 2021, he was finally confirmed to be Conner MacLeod in 2023. Russel Crowe joined as McLeod’s confidant Ramirez, soon after, while Karen Gillian also joined the film as McLeod’s mortal and possibly long-deceased wife.
In addition, Marisa Abela plays the character’s modern love interest, who is also an archeologist tasked with discovering the immortals’ true past within history. Dave Batista, cast all the way back in 2015, will be the main villain, The Kurgan. Jeremy Irons plays another bad guy, the leader of a group who think the immortals are a threat to humanity. As we all can see, the film is packed with some of the best and most respected actors working today.
READ NEXT: Alien 5: Will Sigourney Weaver Return as Ellen Ripley?
The film received a mini setback this year when Cavill, during training for the film, got injured, pushing the shooting schedule back by a few months. Several media outlets have reported the film’s budget being over $100 million, making it the most expensive Highlander film ever made. As of October 2025, filming is slated for early next year, and pictures of Cavill recuperating and preparing for the role have come out.
Along with Henry Cavill, the presence of both Russell Crowe and Jeremy Irons so far points to a mini DCEU reboot as well. Cavill was the face of that universe through his iteration of Superman, while Crowe played his biological father, Jor-El of Krypton. Irons, on the other hand, played Batman’s butler and confidant Alfred Pennyworth in three DCU appearances. In addition, Djimon Honsoe has also recently joined the cast of the film, playing the role of an Immortal warrior from Africa. Honsoe famously played the Wizard in three DCEU films, the two Shazam films, and the Black Adam movie.
READ NEXT: Heat 2: Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything We Know So Far
So, the Highlander reboot remains on track for release in 2027. Highlander has always been a cult franchise, and to see it getting the big-budget treatment starring some of the most famous actors today is exciting. Fingers crossed that the film’s production remains on track and we are able to see it in theatres sometime in the next 18 months.
