Sometimes it’s best to think inside the box. Reports suggest that wrestler turned actor Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) is in talks to fill Clancy Brown’s shoes as evil immortal The Kurgan in Chad Stahelski’s Highlander remake.
Bautista would line up alongside Henry Cavill as Connor Macleod and Russell Crowe as Ramirez. Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery played these roles in the 1986 original.
Marisa Abela (Back to Black) has also been cast as Connor’s modern day love interest, Brenda.
For those who don’t know, Highlander follows a group of immortals battling each other through time until one remains to claim ‘the prize.’ It’s basically The Terminator, only told from Kyle Reese’s point-of-view and the characters travel the opposite direction in time. Or maybe that’s just my weird take.
Let’s talk size
There’s no question that Bautista has the height for the role. Standing at 6’ 4”, I was amazed to discover that he is taller than Clancy Brown (6′ 3″). I always thought Clancy Brown was about 6’ 10”, judging by his stature in the original. Did he stand on a box, or was Christopher Lambert a midget?
For completeness, Henry Cavill is 6′ 1″.
That’s all well and good, but let’s talk girth now (stop giggling). Bautista is in great shape for 56 but has slimmed down recently, as shown in Exhibit A below.
He might want to get back on the protein shakes, is all I’m saying. In contrast, Henry Cavill is usually hench as fuck, so I wonder if we’ll see him slim down while Bautista bulks up.
It’s not a minor detail. The Kurgan’s entire character is based on his imposing size. He’s meant to be a freak of nature. They can’t have him being outmuscled by Macleod.
There can be only one?
Chad Stahelski (John Wick) will helm the Highlander remake. The plot remains under wraps. The casting so far mirrors the 1986 classic, but it’s 2025. With hundreds of years of timeline to explore, I doubt they’ll wrap it up in one movie when a franchise could be on the cards.
The original Highlander wisely remained vague on the precise nature of the immortals and the ‘prize.’ I wonder how they’ll tackle the lore in the new movie. Highlander 2:The Quickening attempted to do that and…well, best not to ask.
There’s plenty more material to draw from, if they feel inclined. To date, Highlander has spawned five live-action movies, one animated movie and a six-season television show. Strange how a simple story about immortals can’t seem to die.
