Advertisement

Dave Bautista Signs On For Highlander Reboot

Dave Bautista continues his slow conquest of Hollywood by signing on to play the bad guy in the long-in-development reboot of action fantasy series ‘Highlander.’

Latino Review report that the wrestler-turned-actor, who broke big with last year’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and is currently at work on the next James Bond movie ‘SPECTRE,’ is the first confirmed actor for the new take on Russell Malcahy’s 1986 hit, and it’s an inspired bit of casting if ever we saw one.

Bautista will reportedly will take on the role of The Kurgan, the maniacal villain played to memorably deranged and gravel-throated effect by Clancy Brown in the original.

- First Footage From SPECTRE
-  Sam Witwer For The Crow?
- Could Neill Blomkamp’s Alien Happen?

'Highlander' starred Christopher Lambert as central hero Connor MacLeod and Sean Connery as his mentor Ramirez, members of a race of immortal swordfighters destined to battle to the death until only one remains.

Although the film memorably told us “there can be only one,” there were ultimately five ‘Highlander’ movies as well as a live-action TV series and a cartoon show, not to mention an anime spin-off movie and a slew of tie-in novels and comic books.

Not unlike that other notable upcoming reboot ‘The Crow,’ this new take on ‘Highlander’ has been in the offing for some time, hitting a fair few stumbling blocks along the way.

Summit Entertainment purchased the rights in 2008, and in 2009 director Justin Lin (‘Fast and Furious’ 3-6, the upcoming ‘Star Trek 3’) boarded the project with Ryan Reynolds attached as MacLeod, originally with a view to a 2011 release.

However, Lin dropped out over scheduling conflicts, to be replaced by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (‘28 Weeks Later’) - but by 2013 he too had dropped out, and Reynolds with him.

The reins of ‘Highlander’ have since been picked up by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, an FX artist who will make his directorial debut. There remains no word on who might be in line to take on play the one of whom there can be only one (sorry), but reportedly Troyan says they’re on the lookout for a “younger, emerging guy,” and “an actor who shines as Ramirez the way Connery did.”

It has been rumoured that Tom Cruise may be on the wishlist to play Connery’s role.

No release date is set for ‘Highlander,’ but it is expected to go into production later this year.

- Garfield’s Spider-Man Undervalued?
- Resident Evil Series To End
- Halloween To Be ‘Recalibrated’

Picture Credit: MGM/Sony, 20th Century Fox, EMI