Henry Cavill's Highlander reboot finds its villain — and he’s perfectly cast

Dave Bautista alongside Clancy Brown as the Kurgan

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

published 8 August 2025

Who wants to live forever? The Highlander franchise, if Amazon MGM has its way at least. The long-gestating reboot of the supernatural sword-fighting film series is finally picking up speed, and the latest reports suggest its iconic villain has now been recast.

And it’s good news! Dave Bautista is said to be in final talks to play Highlander’s The Kurgan — one of the nastiest baddies in cinematic history — according to The Hollywood Reporter. An immortal warrior, he’s as physically imposing as he is cruel and sadistic. A ‘proper bastard’, as my little brother affectionately refers to the original character, memorably played in 1986’s Highlander by Clancy Brown.

Bautista, long the fan’s pick for the role in the reboot, has both the stature and the acting chops to pull off both sides of the character — a villain that chews the scenery magnetically.

The can be only one (more)

The rest of the cast is shaping up nicely too. Henry Cavill has been attached to the project for years, and will be starring as Connor McLeod, originally played by Christopher Lambert, while the role of Ramirez, originally played by Sean Connery, is to be taken on by Russel Crowe. Rounding out the main cast is Industry’s Marisa Abela.

If its anything like the original, the Highlander reboot will follow McLeod’s story — a 16th Scottish century clansman who discovers he is an immortal warrior, fated to duel other immortals (who can only be defeated by beheading, naturally) in search of ‘The Prize’, an ultimate gift that offers all the power of the defeated warriors combined. It’s a time-hopping story across centuries — something of a B-movies in many respects, but with a great concept, charm and in its day a killer soundtrack by rock gods Queen. It's the film that gave us the eminently quotable "there can be only one" line.

No release date set for Highlander yet, which is expected to start shooting in locations in the UK and Hong Kong this September, under direction from Chad Stahelski. But it is slated to get a cinema release before inevitably making its way to the Amazon Prime Video movie section.

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Gerald Lynch is the Editor-in-Chief of Shortlist, keeping careful watch over the site's editorial output and social channels. He's happiest in the front row of a gig for a band you've never heard of, watching 35mm cinema re-runs of classic sci-fi flicks, or propping up a bar with an old fashioned in one hand and a Game Boy in the other.

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