HIGHLANDER Set Video and Photos Reveal Dave Bautista’s Kurgan and a Brutal Connor MacLeod Showdown
Footage and photos from the set of Highlander have made their way online, and they’re already giving fans plenty to chew on. The images capture Henry Cavill as Connor MacLeod and Dave Bautista as the infamous Kurgan mid-fight, tumbling from high above and slamming down onto a row of cars below.
The images mark our first real look at Bautista as the Kurgan. The former pro wrestler, who made headlines last year after dramatically slimming down, looks powerful, focused, and absolutely capable of matching Cavill blow for blow.
Cavill’s MacLeod, meanwhile, is seen gripping the hilt of a sword that will be completed with VFX later on, which suggests this fall in the video comes at the peak of an all-out clash between these two immortals.
The original film followed MacLeod and the Kurgan as immortal warriors locked in a fight to the death, with the winner absorbing the power of the fallen. In the end, there can be only one. There’s no reason to think this reboot is abandoning that idea, though it will be fascinating to see how director Chad Stahelski updates the formula for modern audiences.
The franchise has been around the block. There have been five Highlander films, a web series, an animated TV show, and a TV movie, but none of them have ever eclipsed the impact of the original 1986 classic. This new take seems very aware of that legacy.
Bautista previously said: "Clancy Brown was in his 20s when he was the Kurgan. I’m in my 50s. I hope I can do the world justice. It’s written very differently. But still with, like, such a huge nod, a lot of respect to the original. Chad Stahelski didn’t want to go against the grain and make it something completely different."
"He wanted to keep it true to the characters, but elevate a bit, move it into current filmmaking standards, because we’re always kind of raising the bar," the Dune star continued. "The characters need to go with the action in this film, and the action is super hyper elevated. It’s what John Wick did to the gun work on films."
Stahelski built his reputation redefining action cinema, and applying that same intensity to sword fights between immortals feels like a natural next step. The story itself leans heavily into myth, time, and consequence.
"Centuries after his first death on a Scottish battlefield, immortal warrior Connor MacLeod lives quietly in the modern world, haunted by loss and the endless cycle of violence among his kind.
“When the ruthless immortal Kurgan resurfaces, backed by a secret organization bent on unlocking the secret of eternal life, Connor is forced back into the Game - an ancient battle where 'there can be only one.'
“Guided by his mentor Ramírez and a mortal ally, archaeologist Kate Bennett, Connor must confront his past and rediscover his purpose. As immortals clash across time and continents, the fight for the mysterious 'Prize' becomes a battle for humanity’s soul."
The film is written by Michael Finch and directed by Stahelski, with a cast that includes Russell Crowe, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Max Zhang, Siobhán Cullen, and WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre.
Highlander isn’t expected to hit theaters until 2027, but with production now underway and set footage already delivering brutal glimpses of Connor MacLeod’s latest battle with the Kurgan, it’s clear this immortal rivalry is being reborn with serious force.