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Highlander: Henry Cavill Shares Some First Look Images

Star Henry Cavill has shared two first look images from the long-awaited remake of the 1986 classic, Highlander.

Published Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:02:06 -0600

Article Summary

Henry Cavill shares the first official images from the long-awaited Highlander remake on Instagram.
Production faced delays after Cavill suffered an injury back in October 2025..
Highlander has endured development challenges since 2008, with multiple studios and directors attached.
Chad Stahelski directs, with a cast including Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista, and Karen Gillan.

Okay, we might have to concede that the Highlander remake is a thing that exists. Maybe. That being said, the journey this film has been has been so long and insane that you really can't blame anyone for assuming that this isn't going to happen. Between the Masters of the Universe trailer dropping and these images, January has been a pretty good month for projects taking one more step toward emerging from development hell. We still don't have much on this remake, star Henry Cavill shared them to his official Instagram with the caption, "Happy First Look for Highlander! This has been quite the journey for me, which I'll tell you all about when the time is right, but it's a special moment to be able to share this. I hope you enjoy. #Highlander"

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A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill)

Highlander started production back in September, but Cavill got injured, so they had to pause production. It seems they successfully got things back up and running, at least enough that we have some images.

Highlander Has Been Languishing In Development Hell Since 2008

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.

A split image featuring two actors, Henry Cavill on the left and Chad Michael Murray on the right, with a promotional graphic for the film "Highlander" at the bottom. The graphic showcases a character dressed in fur, with lightning effects and the film's title prominently displayed. — L-R: London, United Kingdom – January 24, 2024: Henry Cavill attends the World Premiere of "Argylle" at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, England. Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com | London, United Kingdom – May 22, 2025: Chad Stahelski attends the From The World Of John Wick Ballerina world premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, England. | Highlander Poster: Credit: Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment, Davis-Panzer Productions, Highlander Productions Limited

In May 2021, we finally got some casting confirmations as it was announced that Henry Cavill would star as Connor MacLeod 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. In late 2024, it was reported that they wanted to film very soon, eyeing a possible 2026 release date, but nothing came from it. Considering how long Stahelski and Cavill have been working on the project, there is a chance that 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.

In April 2025, it was officially confirmed that United Artists and Amazon MGM Studios gained "full rights to the franchise, which Lionsgate developed, with potential to also develop a new series." Since then, they have been actively bringing on cast members. Cavill has remained on the project, and they have also added Russell Crowe as the swordsman Ramirez, Dave Bautista as The Kurgen, Karen Gillan as Heather, MacLeod's mortal wife, Marisa Abela as MacLeod's modern romantic interest, Drew McIntyre as Conner's brother Angus, and Max Zhang in an unspecified role. Highlander had begun a new journey, and one that many films before it had failed: the long trek out of development hell.

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