With filming on John Wick director Chad Stahelski’s long-gestating Highlander remake drawing closer, Deadline is reporting that actress Marisa Abela (Back to Black, Black Bag) has become the latest addition to the cast.
Abela – who is fresh off a BAFTA TV Award for her role in the third season of Industry – joins a cast that includes Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill as Connor MacLeod and Russell Crowe as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, immortal warriors who are destined to gather for a final battle where the last survivor will win ‘The Prize’. Abela’s character remains unconfirmed at the time of writing, although she’ll presumably be taking on either the Brenda or Heather role, depending of course on how closely Stahelski plans on sticking to the original’s storyline.
The original Highlander was directed by Russell Mulcahy and saw Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery portraying MacLeod and Ramirez, with Clancy Brown also starring as MacLeod’s nemesis The Kurgan and rock band Queen providing an iconic soundtrack. Despite being a commercial disappointment upon release in 1986, the film quickly gained cult status, spawning a franchise that included a number of forgettable sequels and a hit 90s TV series.
Production on the new Highlander is slated to get underway in the UK in September, with Stahelski directing from a script by Michael Finch (John Wick: Chapter 4).
