Highlander movie remake confirmed

21 May 2008

John Howell

According to Variety, the original 1986 Highlander movie starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery is set to be remade by Summit Entertainment, who hope to kick start a new series of big budget Highlander movies.

"I have always dreamed of reinventing this franchise," said Patrick Wachsberger, Summit's co-chairman and president.

Featuring immortal fighters battling throughout history for a legendary "prize", director Russell Mulchay's Highlander was an excellent piece of fantasy entertainment. Immortals only die by decapitation and can only avoid battle on holy ground.

The sequence set in 1541, where Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) is tutored by an older immortal, Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez (Sean Connery), is particularly memorable. Ramírez appoints himself MacLeod's tutor in the ways of being Immortal, their pursuit of the "Prize", the rules of the "Game", and the time of "The Gathering", when the remaining immortals will come together for one final time. If you've watched the original movie, I doubt you'll forget that "in the end, there can be only one"! You may also remember Lambert and Connery running barefoot along a beach feeling "The quickening" running through their veins.

It seems to be science fiction and fantasy remake mania lately: a new Land of the Lost movie, a Blake’s 7 TV remake, The Day the Earth Stood Still with Keanu Reeves, where will it end? Everything old is new again.

Does Highlander really need a remake though? They're going to have to produce an impressive movie to top the original. I can't think of any actor able to fill Connery's shoes for a start. In any case, Highlander has already spawned 4 movies and two TV series, none of which was particularly inspiring when compared to the original. Highlander II: The Quickening and Highlander III: The Final Dimension were widely panned.

Is there really any more left to tell? Apparently the answer is "yes". The writers of the recent Marvel Comics box office smash, Iron Man, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, have been hired to create the new Highlander script and plan to expand upon the original movie's premise.

While I loved the original, I'm not overjoyed by the thought of a remake. Perhaps there should only be one?

Highlander will start production next year.

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