Like a lightening bolt out of nowhere, we received word today that not only is Summit definitely going forward with a remake of Highlander, but they’ve got a director and producer signed on as bold proof of their throwing caution to the wind.
Pretty soon they’ll be able to throw the phrase “From the Director and Producer of Fast & Furious comes Highlander” because Justin Lin is going to be sitting squarely in the director’s chair while Neil Moritz will be producing. And as if you weren’t thrilled enough, Peter Davis, who produced the original, is also along for the ride.
I can’t say I know whether they are headed (get it?) in the right direction here, because I’m frankly not sure if there is a right direction for this sort of thing. It’s been 23 since the original came out, and with the unwatchable reality of the most recent entry (Highlander: The Source), they might as well be calling this thing a reboot. And that thing is seriously unwatchable. It’s not even capable of being mocked because of how dreadfully bad it is.
I suppose a lot depends on casting as well. You’d need someone to embody the emotionally injured bad ass that is Conner MacLeod. The man that first comes to mind – Clive Owen. But I don’t see that happening outside of fantasy land. Beyond that casting, you’d have to figure out who to cast as Juan “Too Many Middle Names” Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez to rival the genius of Sean Connery. My suggestion would either be Sean Connery coming out of retirement or getting Christopher Lambert. Why not? He could pull of the older mentor figure at his age, and it would lend some geek street cred to the project.
On the plus side, revamping this franchise opens the door for the cross-over sequel Highlander School Musical where happy-go-lucky teenagers sing about trying out for the basketball team and chopping each other’s heads off to gain immortality.
What do you think? Who would you cast?
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