By Travis Johnson
In what may be the only good thing to come out of Lionsgate’s long-gestating reboot of Highlander, stuntman turned director Chad Stahelski has thrown his hat in the ring. For anyone who has seen Stahelski’s directorial debut, the deliriously violent and stylish John Wick, this is great news.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the story, Stahelski is a huge fan of the Russell Mulcahy-directed 1986 original, which saw Christopher Lambert’s immortal Scottish swordsman battle Clancy Brown’s evil barbarian in modern day New York. “I saw it in high school. Such great themes of immortality, love, and identity are all wrapped up in such colorful mythology. I can’t think of a better property that gives the opportunity to create interesting characters, mythic themes and action set pieces.”
Stahelski is lowering himself onto a pretty warm director’s chair, one which has been previously occupied by Justin Lin, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. Now, if only they ditch the appalling script that’s been doing the rounds, this could be the first worthy addition to the franchise since, oh, ever, really.
