Karen Gillan has joined the cast of Amazon MGM’s Highlander remake, adding another big name to the sword-swinging fantasy.
Gillan will play Heather, the mortal wife of Connor MacLeod and the love of his life. In the original 1986 movie, Heather’s tragic relationship with MacLeod underscored the personal cost of immortality, as he was forced to watch her grow old while he remained unchanged.
“My dialect coach can sit this one out…so excited to be an actual Highlander in ‘Highlander’!!! ” said Gillan on her Instagram.
Expanding Cast
Henry Cavill leads the reboot as MacLeod, with Russell Crowe confirmed as Ramirez, Dave Bautista as the villainous Kurgan, and Marisa Abela in a newly created lead role, playing an immortal warrior, who is a teacher of swordplay and one of MacLeod’s past loves.
The film is directed by John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski and is slated for a theatrical release. Principal photography is scheduled to begin at the end of September.
The Original Film
The 1986 Highlander starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, a Scottish Highlander who discovers he is immortal. With guidance from Ramirez, played by Sean Connery, MacLeod battles fellow immortals across centuries, culminating in a final showdown in modern-day New York. The film became a cult classic, spawning sequels and the long-running Adrian Paul TV series.
What to Expect
With Cavill in the lead and Stahelski behind the camera, the reboot aims to revive and expand the mythology. Casting Gillan as Heather suggests the film will stay true to some of the emotional core of the original while broadening the scope with new characters and storylines.
