There can be more than one in Henry Cavill’s new Highlander remake…antagonists that is. In a new reveal by The Hollywood Reporter, it seems that Dave Bautista’s main antagonist, The Kurgen, will be joined by Hollywood icon and frequent villain, Jeremy Irons, who will add to Connor MacLoed’s woes as the leader of a secret order called The Watchers. The group led by Irons see the immortals as a threat to humanity, which will likely put them in conflict with Cavill’s hero.
This brings about a second DCEU reunion for Cavill, as Russell Crowe, who appeared in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel as Jor-El, is already part of the production. Irons appeared in Batman vs. Superman and Justice League as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s faithful butler.
Irons has been a fixture of Hollywood for longer than Henry Cavill has been alive, and there are very few people who will need an introduction to the British actor. His movie roles have included Dead Ringers, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Lolita, Kingdom of Heaven, providing the voice of Scar in the original animated version of The Lion King, and recently in Jason Statham’s The Beekeeper. He also had lead roles in TV shows such as The Borgias, The Color of Magic, and Watchmen. If there was a way to elevate the new take on Highlander, then adding Jeremy Irons to the cast is the way to do it.
The ‘Highlander’ Remake Has a Stacked Cast, but Suffered a Setback
The Chad Stahelski-directed Highlander reboot has been slowly building an impressive cast, which, along with Cavill, Crowe, Bautista and Irons, includes Karen Gillan, Marisa Abela, Djimon Hounsou, and Max Zhang. With a promise of John Wick-level action, and the nostalgic pull of an 80s franchise in its favor, Highlander could be a crowd-pleaser when it finally hits screens.
However, that date could yet slide a little thanks to Henry Cavill recently sustaining a leg injury while training for the intense fight scenes of the movie. This has pushed back filming to January to allow Cavill to rest his leg, but for now the movie is only known to be releasing in 2027, with no specific window set.
The Highlander remake is one of several big projects on the horizon for Cavill, who is also set to star in another 80s reboot, Voltron, his Warhammer 40k series, and his new team up with Guy Ritchie for In the Grey. For an actor who seemed to have lost his biggest roles when being dropped as Superman and leaving The Witcher, the actor seems to have proven that there are plenty more roles in the sea.
- Writers
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Ryan J. Condal, Michael Finch, Kerry Williamson
- Producers
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Neal H. Moritz