Highlander Production Delayed Because Star Henry Cavill Is Injured

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Posted in: Amazon MGM Studios, Movies | Tagged: Chad Stahelski, henry cavill, highlander

Highlander Production Delayed Because Star Henry Cavill Is Injured

Henry Cavill, the star of the Highlander reboot, has reportedly been injured during pre-production training, and production has been delayed until early 2026.

Published Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:12:03 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary

  • Henry Cavill's injury during pre-production delays Highlander reboot filming to early 2026.
  • The Highlander reboot had targeted a late September 2025 start and a 2026 release date.
  • Project has faced years of development delays since first announced in 2008.
  • Chad Stahelski is directing with Cavill starring; the cast includes Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan.

The Highlander reboot might be cursed. After hanging out in development hell for literal years, the rights moved to Amazon and United Artists this year, and they hit the ground running. The cast has been filling out over the course of the summer. It looked like most of the primary roles were set and ready to go, and they were shooting for a late September start for production and a reported 2026 release date. Well, that isn't looking very likely because star Henry Cavill was injured during the pre-production training.

London, United Kingdom – January 24, 2024: Henry Cavill attends the World Premiere of "Argylle" at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, England. Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com
London, United Kingdom – May 22, 2025: Chad Stahelski attends the From The World Of John Wick Ballerina world premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, England.
Highlander Poster: Credit: Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment, Davis-Panzer Productions, Highlander Productions Limited

Deadline reported the news, and they didn't have any specifics on Cavill's injury, but it has pushed the start date back considerably, to the beginning of 2026. This doesn't mean Cavill is extremely injured; it could mean he has another project lined up right after Highlander was supposed to wrap, or they were planning to wrap right before everyone left for the holidays. The problem is that delays like this could impact casting, and the words "scheduling conflicts" could pop up. It's a bit too early to tell, but we hope Cavill's injury heals quickly.

Highlander Has Been Languishing In Development Hell Since 2008

Highlander has been on a bit of a weird journey from the beginning. When the film was first released in theaters, it didn't do that well critically or commercially. It's one of the old school cult classic films that found a following once it went to home video, and people have been obsessed ever since. There was a sequel that everyone hated, and people like to pretend it doesn't even exist, so there's this reboot. It was first announced in 2008, but nothing much happened with it until it was announced that John Wick director Chad Stahelski was signing onto the project in 2016. This followed the runaway success of the first film for Lionsgate in 2014, before the franchise became a true juggernaut with the sequel in 2017.

In May 2021, we finally got some casting confirmations as it was announced that Henry Cavill would star as Connor MacLeod in the project, but there was still no movement forward. In 2023, it was announced that the project was happening, under Lionsgate, with Cavill starring, Stahelski directing, and a script from Mike Finch. There was another casting rumor, such as Michael Fassbender being in talks to be the villain, but nothing ever set in stone, and its absence from the Lionsgate stage makes a lot more sense now. In late 2024, it was reported that they wanted to film very soon, eyeing a possible 2026 release date, but nothing came from it. Considering how long Stahelski and Cavill have been working on the project, there is a chance that a lot more of the pre-production has already been done, and they just need to get some contracts signed, get some schedules ready, and go.

In April 2025, it was officially confirmed that United Artists and Amazon MGM Studios gained "full rights to the franchise, which Lionsgate developed, with potential to also develop a new series." Since then, they have been actively bringing on cast members. Cavill has remained on the project, and they have also added Russell Crowe as the swordsman Ramirez, Dave Bautista as The Kurgen, Karen Gillan as Heather, MacLeod's mortal wife, and Marisa Abela as MacLeod's modern romantic interest. Highlander had begun a new journey, and one that many films before it had failed: the long trek out of development hell.

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