Highlander Reboot With Henry Cavill Aims for John Wick–Level Swordfights

written by Craig Ellison

April 3, 2026 4:06 pm

Highlander Reboot With Henry Cavill Aims for John Wick–Level Swordfights — Image credit: Legion-Media

Siobhán Cullen promises a radical revamp — her character will be nothing like the 80s original.

Well, this one’s been in development limbo longer than some Highlanders have been alive, but it’s finally happening: Henry Cavill is officially swinging a sword as Connor MacLeod in the new Highlander reboot from John Wick director Chad Stahelski. Cameras are already rolling, and we just got our first official peek at Cavill looking broody and immortal. There are also some juicy behind-the-scenes shots floating around, so if you’re the kind of person who zooms in to check for wig lines or safety mats, now’s your time.

What’s new besides the fact that Hollywood somehow kept faith in this remake for a decade? Quite a bit, actually. Cavill comes into this with a freshly sharpened sword and a Netflix-sized chip on his shoulder from The Witcher. Safe to say, nobody’s worried about his sword-fighting cred. According to his co-star Siobhán Cullen, fans can expect action sequences that she basically describes as ‘John Wick with swords.’ Not exactly subtle, but hey, I’m not complaining. Cullen teased, ‘Some of the fighting scenes I’ve seen are just insane,’ thanks to Stahelski’s choreography and Cavill swinging steel like it’s Sunday brunch.

'It’s exciting to work with somebody who is so fluent in the language of action, and it’s like there’s this whole other script that’s happening that is parallel to our dialogue. The subtext and incredible detail to character is incredible and I’m just a keen student.'

Now, onto Cullen’s character, which is where this gets interesting if you’re even a little bit nostalgic for the 1986 original. She’s playing Brenda Wyatt. In the original, Brenda is a forensic scientist/metal nerd who gets tangled up with Connor after noticing his weird, basically mythical sword. This time, though? Cullen says her Brenda is 'totally different.' Apparently, she’s at a bigger crossroads in her life, and when she runs into Cavill’s immortal, she gets dragged into a very not-normal night and swept straight into the world of immortals.

'We find her at a different time in her life. We find her getting into trouble and when she meets Connor on a pivotal night, as a mortal, she gets swept up in the world of immortals. Because she is mortal in this immortal world, she’s kind of the eyes of the audience because she is being introduced into this whole new world, which totally upends her whole understanding of humanity and time and what’s possible.'

Translation: Brenda’s not just here to test swords and roll her eyes at immortal beefcakes. She’s the audience’s anchor to all this ancient drama, and odds are she’ll be way more involved than last time – both in mortal danger and, probably, existential crisis territory. Count me curious.

So, Who’s Actually in This Thing?

Henry Cavill as Connor MacLeod — honestly, this is as close as we’ll get to seeing Superman decapitate a guy with a claymore.
Siobhán Cullen as Brenda Wyatt — not your dad’s metallurgist, apparently.
Russell Crowe is expected to take over the mentor role made famous by Sean Connery. Finally, Crowe can put his ‘Gladiator’ sword muscles to use again.
Jeremy Irons, reuniting with Cavill after Batman v Superman, though no character details yet. I’ll put five bucks on 'mysterious figure with great monologues.'
Dave Bautista as the main villain, The Kurgan. The man looks born to beat people up in leather armor.

The script comes from Kerry Williamson and Mike Finch, with Amazon MGM Studios footing the bill. No release date just yet, but with the hype machine spinning up and Cavill willing to wear yet another head of questionable Highlander hair, it shouldn’t be that far off.

Keep your swords sharp and your expectations reasonable.