Rumor: Dave Bautista Takes Villain Role In ‘Highlander’ Reboot
Summit’sHighlanderreboot still needs a MacLeod, but it may have found its Kurgan. A new report indicatesDave Bautista, ofGuardians of the Galaxyand WWE fame, could be stepping up to play the main antagonist. More on the Dave BautistaHighlandercasting after the jump.
Latino Reviewgot the scoop. The originalHighlanderfrom 1986 centered around an immortal Scottish warrior (played byChristopher Lambert) locked in an age-old battle for the Prize. The role of brutal, bloodthirsty Immortal Kurgan was played byClancy Brown.
The newHighlanderwill be directed byCedric Nicolas-Troyan, best known for his VFX work on films likeSnow White and the Huntsman. He makes his feature directing debut next year on the follow-up,The Huntsman.Highlanderwill presumably kick off sometime after that.
The project has been bouncing around for a few years already. Before Nicolas-Troyan signed on in 2013,Justin Lin(Fast and Furious 6) and thenJuan Carlos Fresnadillo(28 Weeks Later) were attached to direct.Ryan Reynoldswas on board at one point to play MacLeod, but dropped out in 2013.
The script, too, has changed hands a few times already. It started withIron ManwritersArt MarcumandMatt Holloway, and has since passed throughMelissa Rosenberg(Twilight) andNoah Oppenheim(The Maze Runner).
But Summit isn’t going to give up, because the originalHighlanderwas big business. It launched several sequels, the last of which was the 2007 TV movieHighlander: The Source, as well as live-action and animated shows, a comic book, a series of novels, and several video games.
Bautista broke through in a big way last year as the unquestionably strong but hilariously literal warrior Drax inGuardians of the Galaxy. He recently signed on to play villainous henchman Mr. Hinx in the 24th Bond film, titledSpectre. He’s also attached to play the villain in the upcomingKickboxerremake.
