Highlander (Chad Stahelski To Oversee ‘John Wick’ & ‘Highlander’ Franchises)

EXCLUSIVE: In the world of Highlander reboots, there can still only be one…and it’s a good one at that.

For the first time, Lionsgate will be launching sales at the AFM on their long-gestating fantasy reboot which has Henry Cavill aboard to star as the eponymous Scottish swordsman and John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski set to direct.

We hear this will be a big-budget proposition, north of $100M. Stahelski himself has previously talked about it as akin to John Wick with swords. The team is eyeing a 2024 start.

This will be welcome news for AFM buyers whose pool of pre-sale projects has been diminished by the ongoing strike.

The new movie will be based on the 1986 original, which starred Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown as immortal beings, hunting down one another and collecting more power. The time-jumping film — with its “There can be only one” tagline — spawned four sequels and three TV series including the popular USA series starring Adrian Paul. Queen memorably provided the soundtrack for the original movie.

Producing the reboot are Joshua Davis, Fast And The Furious producer Neal H. Moritz, Stahelski (thru his 87Eleven Entertainment production company) and Louise Rosner.

The current draft of the screenplay is by Mike Finch. The late Peter S. Davis, producer of the original Highlander, initiated development of the new film. Summit first acquired remake rights to the original in 2008.

Former Superman and The Witcher actor Cavill remains in high demand. Among movies in post are Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle and two Guy Ritchie projects, including WWII pic The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

Stahelski has directed all four John Wick films, which have been a goldmine for Lionsgate, taking more than $1BN. He previously talked about the new Highlander as the first in a trilogy but we’ve not had word whether that’s still the case.

Cavill and Stahelski were attached and reported before the strike.

The arrival of the Highlander reboot is a shot in the arm for the AFM, whose business has been hampered by the SAG-AFTRA strike. This and Kevin Costner’s Horizon movies, which we told you this week would also be on sale, are the two biggest-budget prospects revealed for the market so far. A number of packages haven’t come together or aren’t being officially announced due to strike restrictions or anxiety over optics. Frankly, given the limitations posed by the strike, I’ve been surprised at the number of new or reworked projects that are on sale (many are shooting in Europe). There are still a handful of pre-sales packages for buyers to get their teeth into, even if more action may be done this market on completed and near-completed movies.

Source: Deadline

UltimateMarvel wrote:Never seen Highlander but good to see that he's finding other projects again.

joey con carne wrote:Whoooaaaaa this is cool. Hopefully Henry Cavill will make his sword work even more awesome as opposed to Christopher Lambert’s zero training in the original. Although, Lambert did have that sweet sword twirl he would do every once in a while.

Chad Stahelski, who Deadline already told you was set to direct the reboot of Highlander starring Henry Cavill, has inked a deal with Lionsgate to oversee the creative on both that franchise and John Wick. Remember, John Wick is beginning to spinoff with the Ballerina this summer; Stahelski already an EP on that film.

Stahelski will have supervision of the brands across film, television, and all multimedia platforms. “The director and his team at 87Eleven Entertainment have taken the lead in designing a comprehensive multi-platform content strategy for both franchises,” reads a press release this AM.

Stahelski will work side by side with the franchise producers – Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee on the Wick franchise and Neal H. Moritz and the estate of the late Peter S. Davis on Highlander.

“This deal expands on the great creative relationship we already have in place on John Wick and extends it to our Highlander franchise,” Joe Drake, the outgoing chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group and Adam Fogelson, chair of the MPG, said. “From the outset, Chad has been the creative force defining the world of Wick; as we continue to think about the future for that world, we want Chad, working together with Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road, as our stewards guiding us and strategizing together at every step. This deal makes it official, and we look forward to his steady hand and creative input not just on the film he is making, but other stories that arise from it. He is a true visionary, and we are thrilled to have him in our corner.”

“I am pleased to be able to grow my relationship with Lionsgate in this new oversight role for the John Wick universe and its further expansion,” said Stahelski. “John Wick is so close to my heart and to be able to continue shepherding it will be a blast for me. I’m so happy to also be launching another franchise with Highlander, a world that is so rich with engaging stories to be told.”

Stahelski’s John Wick Chapter 4, which was a bright spot at the 2023 box office with north of $440M WW, has just seen his stunt team from the pic get a SAG Award nomination for Stunt Ensemble. Stahelski, a former stuntman himself, has been lobbying the Academy to have stunt work recognized at the Oscars. John Wick movies are directed in their own style: While there’s a screenplay that serves as a spine, much of the film’s action scenes come together through location scouts and the stunt and fight choreography teams.

Working with Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Stahelski was an EP on the John Wick Peacock spinoff series The Continental, which Lionsgate Television produced for Amazon and the NBC streamer, where it became the platform’s biggest original launch of 2023. In the upcoming Ballerina, Ana de Armas plays an assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma. Len Wiseman directs. Pic hits theaters on June 7.

Stahelski is represented by WME, attorney Tara Kole, and Mortimer PR.

**Michael Fassbender has boarded to play the role of the Mongol in the new movie.

“If you thought you’d seen me do sword work before, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Henry Cavill said while speaking at one of the many sessions at CinemaCon today.

*Henry Cavill talked more about his experience with the Highlander movies, saying, “I’m a lover of the original movies, for better or for worse, and it’s one of those things where when I was reading the script for the first time I wasn’t quite too sure where they were going to go with it.”

He went on to discuss how the new film grants a much more thorough investigation of the story’s characters and the lore behind it all, saying that the first movies only “touched on the lore … but my goodness, me oh my, we are going deep into these characters” with the new movie.

“What they’ve done so far and we’re doing with the development of the script is extraordinary, I think people are going to be really, really pleased,” Cavill added.