Henry Cavill to Star in Yet Another Fantasy Franchise, Lionsgate’s ‘Highlander’ Remake (Another L For Warner Bros’ New Superman)

To quote Highlander’s famous tagline, “there can only be one” and that man is Superman himself…or at least he used to be Superman. According to Deadline, Henry Cavill is set to star in a remake of the 1986 fantasy classic from John Wick director Chad Stahelski—a self-proclaimed Highlander fanatic. If there’s one thing Cavill has an aptitude for starring in high-profile fantasy franchises like Man of Steel and Netflix’s The Witcher. The acclaim he’s cultivated wielding swords, engaging in fight choreography, and portraying ageless immortals as Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman and Geralt of Rivia makes him an obvious choice for Stahelski’s Highlander. 

The original film follows Conor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) a Scottish “Highlander” born during the 16th century who, after surviving a fatal blow, meets Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, an Egyptian swordsman played by (a still very Scottish) Sean Connery. Ramírez explains that both he and MacLeod belong to a race of immortals determined to behead one another in a fight for the “Prize,” a power capable of conquering the Earth. 

In addition to inspiring Jet Li’s The One, Highlander became a cult classic with sequels, television spin-offs, and literature. Lionsgate’s big-budget reboot that has been in talks for years, has found its MacLeod (or new lead) in Cavill. Long-time producer of the franchise, Peter Davis, was attached to the project before his death with Kerry Williamson writing the script and Neal H. Moritz, Josh Davis and Amanda Lewis, Patrick Wachsberger, and Gregory Widen producing. Cavill expressed his excitement in an Instagram post. Check it out below. 

Many assume the reboot will be a film but Stahelski hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a series. That said, Stahelski and Cavill have commitments to a variety of other projects; from John Wick 4 to The Witcher and any future Snyder-Verse installments…If the upcoming reboot sees Cavill behead people set to the original’s Queen soundtrack, it’s another L for Warner Bros. 

You know the story. 

WB and DC Comics’ missteps in their ongoing mission to keep up with Marvel is more evident than ever. Following Batman v Superman (2016) and Justice League’s lackluster reception in 2017, WB abandoned the Snyder-Verse. Unfortunately, the release of the acclaimed Snyder Cut of Justice League made it clear that studio interference is largely to blame for the turdtastic DCEU. Now, fans want Cavill to continue wearing the black cape he donned in Snyder’s Justice League. The #RestorTheSnyderVerse campaign is bombarding WB with cries to deliver Snyder’s final two JL installments as well as Batfleck’s The Batman and Man of Steel 2. However, earlier this year it was reported that J.J. Abrams is producing a Superman reboot introducing a black Man of Steel. 

Despite rumors that Michael B Jordan would be playing Calvin Ellis (not Clark Kent), the internet was set ablaze with hashtags in support of Cavill; which was only exacerbated by the release of Snyder’s Justice League reinvigorating interest in his original DCEU characters. This is not at all in opposition to a big-screen, POC Superman being an undeniable leap forward for representative, au contraire. Fans are annoyed with WB’s inability to admit they were wrong regarding Snyder’s vision and complete lack of regard for the age-old saying “the customer is always right.” Instead of fully embracing the creative liberties of a Multiverse and allowing both Supermen to exist within the universe, it looks like the studio will even be rebooting the Justice League without Batfleck and Cavill’s Superman. Calvin Ellis will be the only one wearing the red cape. 

The good news is Cavill doesn’t need Superman anymore. Man of Steel may have made him but Cavill used WB’s rotten tomatoes and made tomato soup. Hell, he made award-winning chili. The actor has since starred in the Mission Impossible franchise and played Sherlock Holmes in Netflix’s Enola Holmes. The latter of which already has a sequel in the works on top of Cavill’s Witcher commitments. Throw Highlander in the mix and Cavill is arguably the biggest movie star of our generation, without or without Man of Steel 2. WB throwing money out the window and allowing their missteps to overshadow cinema’s first Black Superman—something that is already tainted by Ray Fischer’s viral claims of discrimination by the studio. Imagine a world where Abrams’ Superman movie is released the same week as Highlander, which one will you go see? 

Cover Photo: Netflix/Twentieth Century Fox

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