It’s been a busy week for Henry Cavill, with the actor officially confirmed to return for Netflix’s sleuthing sequel Enola Holmes 2 before entering talks to star in the Highlander reboot from John Wick‘s Chad Stahelski.
As The Witcher has more than shown, Cavill is heavily committed to the required training and certainly in his element when he’s swinging around a sword in a violent fantasy world, while Stahelski’s time at the helm of the Keanu Reeves action series has established him as a master of close quarters onscreen combat and intricate fight choreography, making them a tantalizing combination to reinvent the long-dormant property.
It might be fresh news, but we’ve nonetheless been hearing from our sources – the same ones who initially told us Enola Holmes 2 was in active development long before the recent announcement – that Cavill has reportedly signed on for anywhere up to three Highlander movies.
Of course, a three-picture contract is standard practice in the industry, but you can understand why sequel options would be included given the sprawling mythology that comes with built-in franchise potential, not to mention the fact that the reboot has been in development since 2008 and studio Lionsgate will be keen to hit the ground running with the proven duo of Cavill and Stahelski in place.
The expanded universe has already given us five features, an animated film, three TV shows and a webseries, as well as countless novels, comics and audiobooks, so there’s plenty of inspiration there for how to build out the brand. And after first being announced thirteen years ago, let’s hope that this version of the Highlander reboot is the one to finally make it into production following so many false starts in the interim.