The long-in-development Highlander reboot has found its writers, along with a possible filming location.. Beginning life in 1986 as a film, the Highlander franchise has spawned 4 sequels, two TV shows, and multiple novels and comics. And though its popularity has waned in the past couple of decades, it's no surprise that the IP is being reworked. The journey of the Highlander reboot, in fact, has been in the works since 2008. Along the way, it's gained a script draft by Melissa Rosenberg (Jessica Jones), and had Justin Lin attached as a director (and still as a producer). However, the project finally gained momentum when John Wick director Chad Stahelski came aboard last year.
Within months of Stahelski joining the Highlander reboot as the director, news began emerging about the film. Fresh off of the success of his sleeper hit series, Stahelski promised Highlander would have John Wick-style sword fighting. The Keanu Reeves-led franchise has been praised for its fight choreography, breathing new life into the action genre thanks to Stahelski and his team's work as stunt performers and directors. While audiences haven't been clamoring for a new Highlander movie, Stahelski may be one of the few directors who can make the film work. Now, he's gained a complementary set of writers.
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Omega Underground is reporting that Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari have come aboard the Highlander reboot. The writing duo did uncredited work rewriting the Ant-Man script, but will be getting their due for their work on the sequel, Ant-Man & the Wasp. They've also done work developing Transformers spinoffs and are attached to the upcoming Quantum & Woody TV series from the Russo Brothers. OU also claims South Africa is being eyed for a shooting location for the film, whenever it begin production.
When it comes to the location, OU believes the Anglo-Zulu War from a 1998 Highlander novel could be a factor. Stahelski has said he's mining all of Highlander lore, so it's certainly possible. Then again, the tax incentives offered by several South African cities have made it a hub for recent blockbusters, like Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers: Age of Ultron. With Stahelski potentially shooting John Wick: Chapter 3 in the spring of next year, it does seem a bit early for shooting locations to be scouted for Highlander as it likely won't get going anytime soon.
There's no word on whether Barrer and Ferrari will be writing a brand new script or tweaking an existing one, which has passed through the hands of multiple writers. In fact, it was Iron Man writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum who first took a crack at the script back in 2009. With Stahelski having worked as a second unit director on Captain America: Civil War, the Highlander reboot has plenty of Marvel blood in its immortal veins.
The final piece of the reboot puzzle is to lock down lead actors. Ryan Reynolds was attached to the lead role in 2012 before dropping out the next year. As for the villain, Dave Bautista was interested in the part back in 2015. Given that none of this news is recent, it's safe to assume no stars are currently attached to the ever-evolving production. But with the project finally gaining momentum, the Highlander reboot may finally become a reality.
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Sources: Omega Underground [2]