HIGHLANDER Reboot Moving Forward

There can be only one! Or, y’know, several movies, a few TV series, some animated efforts, and then plentiful books and comics. Anyway, we now have some news on Lionsgate’s upcoming Highlander reboot.

As per Deadline, Lionsgate has decided that Colony’s Ryan Condal is the person they want to pen the screenplay for the redo, with the film to start pre-production later this year. We’ve already known that John Wick’s Chad Stahelski will be directing the effort, but things can’t fully move forward until Stahelski gets finished with the upcoming John Wick 3.

On this news, Lionsgate’s Patrick Wachsberger enthused, “We’ve finally got a screenplay we’re happy with. We have set up the story so it has sequel potential.”

And for those of you keeping an eye on all things Highlander, yes, this is indeed the same reboot of the franchise that has been spinning its wheels since way back in 2008. As alluded to by Wachsberger, the current plan is reportedly for a new trilogy of pictures should all go to plan.

For those unfamiliar with the Highlander franchise, the series began life back in 1986. Christopher Lambert played Connor MacLeod, an Immortal who – with the help of fellow Immortal Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) – is on a collision course with the Kurgan, a vicious, unrelenting Immortal played by Clancy Brown. With the tagline of “There can be only one,” these Immortals are sworn to hunt each other down all in the pursuit of beheading their rivals. After that original movie, Highlander II: The Quickening followed in 1991, Highlander III: The Sorcerer in 1994, Highlander: Endgame in 2000, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance in 2007, and Highlander: The Source also in 2007. That wasn’t all, though, for 1992 saw the TV spin-off Highlander: The Series; itself spun-off as Highlander: The Raven in 1998. But that still isn’t the whole picture, for Highlander: The Animated Series premiered in 1994, which then spawned the animated movie Highlander: The Adventure Begins later that year. Books and comic books series – most notably from Dynamite Entertainment – would also be plentiful, and there would even be numerous audio tales for the MacLeod clan and their fellow Immortals.