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The Highlander reboot, with Henry Cavill set to star and Chad Stahelski to direct, could have a new home as Amazon MGM Studios is in final talks to acquire the rights.
Article Summary
- The Highlander reboot rights are in final talks to move from Lionsgate to Amazon MGM Studios.
- Henry Cavill stars, with Chad Stahelski directing; potential for a new series is on the horizon.
- The reboot faced delays since 2008, with announcements picking up in 2021 and 2023.
- An eye on a 2026 release date, if negotiations and pre-production efforts conclude soon.
It seems we finally have some movement on that Highlander reboot that has been hanging out in limbo for quite a while now, and by “a while,” we mean “almost a decade.” However, the lack of movement seems to be part of the problem because the film rights could be jumping studios. The last we heard about the project, it was at Lionsgate, but it was absent from their slate at CinemaCon, and now we know why.
According to Deadline, United Artists and Scott Stuber, under Amazon MGM Studios, are in final negotiations to secure the rights to Highlander. United Artists’ Stuber and Nick Nesbitt will produce alongside Neal H. Moritz and 87Eleven Entertainment, Stahelski’s production banner, and should United Artists secure this deal, they would have “full rights to the franchise, which Lionsgate developed, with potential to also develop a new series.” There have also been reports of a possible TV show since the initial reboot announcement. Deadline’s sources cite Amazon MGM as a better fit for the project than Lionsgate, saying, “at the end of the day, Stahelski’s vision for the film fit better into the Amazon model but added its a big win for all parties.”
Highlander has been on a bit of a weird journey from the beginning. When the film was first released in theaters, it didn’t do that well critically or commercially. It’s one of the old school cult classic films that found a following once it went to home video, and people have been obsessed ever since. There was a sequel that everyone hated, and people like to pretend it doesn’t even exist, so there’s this reboot. It was first announced in 2008, but nothing much happened with it until it was announced that John Wick director Chad Stahelski was signing onto the project in 2016. This followed the runaway success of the first film for Lionsgate in 2014, before the franchise became a true juggernaut with the sequel in 2017.
In May 2021, we finally got some casting confirmations as it was announced that Henry Cavill would star in the project, but there was still no movement forward. In 2023, it was announced that the project was happening, under Lionsgate, with Cavill starring, Stahelski directing, and a script from Mike Finch. There was another casting rumor, such as Michael Fassbender being in talks to be the villain, but nothing ever set in stone, and its absence from the Lionsgate stage makes a lot more sense now. The last production reports we heard said they wanted to film very soon, eyeing a possible 2026 release date, but nothing has been set in stone. Considering how long Stahelski and Cavill have been working on the project, there is a chance a lot more of the pre-production has already been done, and they just need to get some contracts signed, get some schedules ready, and go.
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