Actor and retired wrestler Dave Bautista is in final talks to play villain opposite Henry Cavill in the upcoming Highlander reboot from Amazon MGM Studios. He joins previous cast members Russel Crowe and Marisa Abela.
The reboot is directed by Chad Stahelski, a stuntman and director, who has directed the John Wick films, all headlined by Keanu Reeves. The reboot of the 1986 cult classic is scheduled to go on floors at the end of September and will be shot in the UK as well as Hong Kong.
The story of Highlander follows Connor MacLeod, a Scottish warrior who discovers he is an immortal, after being heavily wounded in battle. Connor is trained by Ramirez, another immortal, to win the Prize at the Gathering, held at New York City.
While Cavill takes on the lead role as MacLeod, Crowe will play Ramirez. Bautista portrays the immortal barbarian named Kurgen, who has been killing other immortals across centures to acquire their power. Details of Abela's part has not been disclosed.
The script of the film is written by Michael Finch. Scott Stuber, Neal H Moritz, Josh Davis, Louis Rosner, and Stahelski are producing the film.
Bautista has increasingly made Amazon a go-to platform, with Highlander being the newest film he’s bringing to the streamer. He previously headlined the action comedies My Spy and its sequel for Amazon, and has completed filming on The Wrecking Crew, an action comedy co-starring Jason Momoa. Additionally, he is in discussions to appear in Amazon’s planned sequel to The Roadhouse.
