Dave Bautista is on an absolute roll lately. Following the huge success of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the actor hopped on board the new James Bond film, Spectre. Now, he’s added another high profile gig to his resume, as Latino Review reports that he’ll be joining the Highlander reboot in the villainous role of The Kurgan.
Directed by visual effects artist turned director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, the film will mark his directorial debut and is currently, still without a lead. However, now that Bautista has been cast, you can be sure that someone will step into the titular role quite shortly. Tom Cruise was once said to be in the studio’s crosshairs, but whether or not that actually turns out to be anything more than just talk remains to be seen.
Regardless, with Bautista playing the antagonist, who, for those that don’t know, is a “murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the prize that comes with being the last immortal,” this reboot just got a lot more exciting. Many people were pretty skeptical when Summit Entertainment announced their plans to reboot Highlander, and rightfully so. The project did go through some production trouble as well, which obviously didn’t help matters.
However, now that a director has been locked in and a talented actor who seems absolutely perfect for the role he was cast in is in place, the tides should start to turn for this one. Admittedly, we’re now intrigued by the Highlander reboot and if the studio can pull in a big name for the lead role, then this film might just hold some promise.