HIGHLANDER Remake Promises Brutal Action as Djimon Hounsou Teases “A Lot” of Decapitations
The long-awaited reboot of Highlander is shaping up to be something pretty wild, and fans of the original cult classic might want to brace themselves.
With John Wick director Chad Stahelski at the helm and a stacked cast led by Henry Cavill, the film is aiming to deliver a fresh, modern take while staying true to what made the franchise memorable in the first place. According to Djimon Hounsou, one key element is not being toned down at all.
While promoting his upcoming Netflix film Thrash, Hounsou opened up about what audiences can expect from Highlander, and he didn’t hold back when talking about the scale and intensity of the project.
“They’re gonna love this movie,” he said. “The scale of the action in this one … certainly, being directed by Chad, the guy who directed all the John Wick [movies]. And it’s an amazing cast as well. It’s going to be spectacular. The sets, the way how they’re designed … certainly, my set was just [great].”
Then Hounsou confirmed there will be “a lot” of decapitations.
The original Highlander built its identity around immortal warriors battling across centuries, with beheadings as the only way to truly win. It’s a brutal concept, and it sounds like Stahelski is fully leaning into it.
Given his track record with the John Wick franchise, that’s not surprising. Stahelski has built a reputation for crafting tightly choreographed action that feels grounded but still visually striking.
His stunt background plays a huge role in that, letting audiences actually follow the movement and feel every hit. Translating that style from gunplay to sword combat could make Highlander something really cool.
The film also has a lot of room to explore its mythology. Cavill is stepping into the role of Connor MacLeod, a character who has lived for centuries. Even though the story is set in the present day, that opens the door for sequences that jump across different time periods, showing how this immortal warrior evolved through history.
I love that Stahelski is shifting his focus to Highlander as it gives him a new sandbox to play in while still delivering the kind of action fans expect from him.
The cast backing this up also includes Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, and Dave Bautista. If this reboot lands the way it’s aiming to, it could easily kick off a whole new franchise. The world of Highlander has always had depth, it just needed the right filmmaker to bring it to life on a larger scale.
It sounds like we’re going to see that world brought to life with style, intensity, and plenty of heads rolling.