A reboot of Highlander has been on the cards for decades. The well-regarded original was poorly served by a series of terrible sequels. A TV show seemed to do OK with fans, but what many really wanted was to properly revisit the world of duelling immortals and wash away the memory of those sequels.
Things finally looked like they were moving at Lionsgate a few years back, with John Wick director Chad Stahelski as the driving force and Henry Cavill attached. Lionsgate had big franchise plans…
…until they didn’t. Suddenly, Amazon MGM studios were taking Highlander off their hands.
The Wrap (as reported by Dark Horizons) has done some digging and talked to people at Lionsgate, and involved with the project, to find out why they let Highlander go to Amazon.
As expected, money is the primary cause. Stahelski wanted $180 million, but the studio had set itself a $165 million limit. There were other concerns that the property was very niche, with it resonating with men of a certain age and just about nobody else.
Hollywood learned these lessons the hard way with things like Blade Runner 2049. Just because it’s big in our DVD collection, doesn’t mean anyone else gives a shit about it.
There were concerns over Cavill’s bankability after Argylle lost huge money and The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare defied good reviews and positive online buzz to underperform. Cavill could have a third expensive underperformer lined up, and Lionsgate itself is deeply troubled after Borderlands and The Crow cratered for them.
So they dumped and ran.
