The Hollywood Reporter is telling us today that John Wick co-director Chad Stahelski has been brought on board to helm the upcoming Highlander reboot. This news arrives just days after the other co-director of John Wick, David Leitch, landed the Deadpool 2 gig, proving that the Keanu Reeves-led actioner gave both men a significant boost as far as their careers go.
Circling back to Highlander though, and it’s understood that a search for a new writer is now underway, while Neal H. Moritz and Peter Davis remain on board to produce. Speaking about his love for the franchise, Stahelski said the following:
“I’ve been a huge fan of the original property since I saw it in high school. Such great themes of immortality, love, and identity are all wrapped up in such colorful mythology. I can’t think of a better property that gives the opportunity to create interesting characters, mythic themes, and action set pieces.”
A reboot of Highlander has been stuck in development hell for quite a while now. Ever since 2008, actually. As such, it’s seen a revolving door of actors and directors come and go. Talent like Justin Lin, Ryan Reynolds, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Cedric Nicolas-Troyan were all attached at one point, but have since exited the project. More recently, both Tom Cruise and Dave Bautista were said to be eyeing roles, but as far as we know, neither are still involved.
Given how many people have come and gone over the years, we’re a bit hesitant to start getting excited just yet. Stahelski is an excellent pick for Highlander, as he’s shown that he has a real knack for fluid and stylish action, but until production actually kicks off in earnest, we’ll temper our expectations. After all, he could very well follow Lin, Reynolds, Bautista and the rest of the gang out the door before shooting gets underway.
For now though, we’re happy to hear of his involvement and are hopeful that it’ll stick, allowing the reboot to finally get off the ground.