With Highlander, a cult film of the 1980s will soon receive a reboot starring Henry Cavill. After the first images were released, fans are delighted – but besides the director, another aspect has yet to convince.
The first Highlander was released in 1986 and over time became a cult film. This is due to the mix of a fantasy story full of clichés, exaggerated staging, and not least the soundtrack by the band Queen. The film tells the story of Connor MacLeod, a Scotsman who is immortal and competes against other immortals to determine who is “the One” who survives in the end.
Highlander remains a rough diamond of 80s cinema, and it is hard to imitate. However, in 2023, a reboot for the franchise was announced, which will soon begin with a first film. In it, Henry Cavill plays the lead role after he exited the fantasy series The Witcher and will soon appear in a series for Warhammer.
Chad Stahelski directs the new Highlander, who has thrilled action fans in recent years primarily with the John Wick series.
First images have now been released showing Henry Cavill in the lead role. Fans are pleased, but some skepticism remains.
Action is nice and all, but the music is important
What do the fans think? The images that Cavill himself published on his Instagram page show him in his usual cool pose as Highlander. The casting of the actor and his look have already convinced the community.
Adrian Morris writes on x.com: “I like Henry Cavill. I have hopes for this.”
Johnnycesarstist also agrees on x.com, as he writes: “ICONIC …The Witcher conveniently quitting due to ‘content’ issues to potentially revive and reinvent a franchise.”
Also, the fact that an action professional like Chad Stahelski is directing generates excitement. The user BeckQuillion finds it generally impressive on Reddit how far the former stuntman has come, having created one of the most popular franchises in recent years with John Wick and is now tackling Highlander.
But there is still skepticism: It seems the community is not entirely convinced, mainly due to one open question: How will the music in the film sound?
The original is renowned partly because the soundtrack by Queen underscores the events. Fans on Reddit expect nothing less than a reuse of these pieces – or at least equivalents:
- “As long as they keep the entire Queen soundtrack, I’m in,” writes vaderdidnothginwr0ng on Reddit.
- “Please do NOT make it a cheesy cover version of Who Wants To Live Forever by any random pop singer to appeal to the kids,” hopes B_L_bub.
- “If there is no Princes of the Universe, we will damn well revolt,” announces Ok_Squirrel.
- BlekSheep summarizes what made the old film so good: “For fans of Highlander, there were so many surprises. The music by Queen played a big role and was the heart of the performances. Everyone loved where the story took its characters.”
Whether the reboot of the series can meet these expectations remains to be seen. In addition to Henry Cavill, stars like Russel Crowe, Dave Bautista, or Karen Gillan are in the new version – at least in terms of talent, the cast is good. They have set themselves a high goal: “Bigger than the original” – The remake of the fantasy film starring Henry Cavill promises fans a lot 39 years later
