«Горець» / «Відьмак»
«Highlander» with Henry Cavill has found new patrons — Amazon, as the previous Lionsgate refused to remake it.
Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists finalize a deal to make a new «Highlander» — fantasy action movie about an immortal Scotsman Chad Stahelski remains the director («John Wick»), with Henry Cavill still playing the lead role. The project began at Lionsgate, but will now be fully under the wing of Amazon. This comes as the movie’s release had to be postponed because of «Ballerina»
Scott Staber, a former Netflix executive, is now in charge of United Artists and is overseeing the new adaptation. The deal provides for the film’s premiere in theaters. According to the director, filming will start in early 2025 and this week he is going to Scotland to look for locations.
Cavill hasn’t just stayed with the project — he’s also working on several other ambitious Amazon franchises. In particular, he is playing in a movie based on «Voltron» and is engaged in «Warhammer 40,000». And he recently boasted that he’s been training a lot with a sword — so he’ll have something to use those skills after «Witcher».
The script is written by Michael Finch, the author of «John Wick 4». Stahelski himself has been trying to relaunch the iconic 80s film since 2016. His production company 87Eleven Entertainment is involved in the project, along with Neil H. Moritz («Fast and Furious») and United Artists.
The original «Highlander», directed by Russell Mulcahy, was released in 1986. It starred Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery and revolved around immortal warriors fighting each other for the «prize». Despite mixed reviews from critics, the movie quickly became a cult favorite among action movie fans. Its sequels included several sequels and a TV series.
The director is not just planning to make one movie — he still hopes to develop an entire franchise out of it. A previous deal with Lionsgate gave Stahelski the green light to develop both «Highlander» and «John Wick» in both film and television formats. As for the latter, the Keanu Reeves series earned $440 million last year. But not everything went smoothly: the spinoff «Ballerina» with Ana de Armas went to production hell — the film had to be almost completely reshot due to dissatisfaction with the work of director Len Weisman. Although, Lionsgate denied these claims.
Source: IndieWire