MCU Star Dave Bautista Cast As The Kurgan In ‘Highlander’ Reboot Starring Henry Cavill And Russell Crowe
The cast of the new Highlander grows more impressive with each announcement. The line starts with the remake’s star, Henry Cavill, and continues with the addition of Russell Crowe. That said, the film didn’t find its Kurgan to fill the boots of Clancy Brown – that is, until now!
Dave Bautista has answered the call to fight for The Prize and is close to playing the Kurgan in the upcoming reboot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They note the wrestler-turned-actor is “in final negotiations” at this stage, but his joining the cast as the villain looks like a lock.
The Kurgan is the final boss of the original film (directed by Russell Mulcahy) and the key tormentor of the immortal protagonist, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert). The two met on a battlefield in Scotland centuries ago, where the bloodthirsty mercenary seemingly killed MacLeod.
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He only exposed him as an Immortal, which led to MacLeod being cast out of his village. Later, the Kurgan slew MacLeod’s mentor, Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez (Sean Connery), and “raped his woman.” The rivals met again in New York to settle the score and decide who gets to be the “only one.”
Bautista initially circled the same role for an adaptation years ago, which ultimately fell apart. If all goes according to plan with this one, he joins a cast that reunites Man of Steel co-stars Cavill, who is playing Connor, and Crowe, who takes over the Ramirez part from the late Sean Connery.
British actress Marisa Abela (known for playing the troubled musician in the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, and for HBO’s Industry) was also cast in a secret role that’s said to be important. We can only speculate, but it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Abela to play a love interest for MacLeod or one of his allies.
John Wick series director and action genre kingpin Chad Stahelski is directing the film, which begins principal photography in September. The shoot will circle the globe to capture scenes in locations as diverse as the UK and Hong Kong. So they’ll be in “lots of different places.”
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