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Summit Rebooting Highlander with a Fast & Furious Director

by Alex Billington
September 22, 2009

Wow, this came out of nowhere, right? Summit Entertainment announced today that they're bringing the Fast & Furious team over to their boat to reboot and re-imagine Highlander . Neal H. Moritz is producing and Justin Lin, who also directed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, is set to direct. The good news is that Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who together wrote Iron Man and Punisher: War Zone, are attached to write the screenplay. Peter Davis, long time producer of Highlander films, will also produce. Summit's film will expand on the original Highlander's core mythology of immortals battling amongst us. Exciting!

If you didn't get it, that was a joke. "We are privileged to have this amazing opportunity to reinvent one of the great franchises," said Patrick Wachsberger, co-chairman of Summit Entertainment. "Neal and Justin have proven more than once that they can deliver an entertaining and exciting blockbuster." In Highlander, after centuries of dueling to survive against others, Connor MacLeod, an immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his kind, a murderously brutal barbarian, who lusts for the fabled Prize. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not excited by anything Justin Lin directs, even if it is Highlander. Do you?

Explore tags: Movie News, Opinions

http://www.dlmentertainment.com DLM Entertainment

There can be only one....every 23 years apparently. I'll be looking for the reboot of the reimagining of the remake of the original in 2042. And jeebus wept.
LINKFX

Hahaha...Justin Lin was a great director on his debut feature "Better Luck Tomorrow", ever since then it seems he's tried very hard to distance himself from that hardcore suburban niche that he cast his original lot with. I haven't seen any of his Hollywood films, but I've read the reviews that said they are rotten. As for Highlander. I love the concept of Highlander, the first film is pretty great. But as a franchise it has been horribly mishandled...the sequel retcons the first film completely, Connery is back, and it's the distant future and they are on another planet and the Immortals are actually Aliens! What?!? I mean, even making a sequel is retarded as at the end of every movie he is supposedly the last of his kind...then they have a series branched off of a cousin of his or whatever...then in "Endgame" Connor and Duncan MacLeod merge souls or whatever after Duncan kills Connor(with some particularly shitty VFX)...They need to approach this remake on the most respectful level of the spirit of the original with some amazing swordfights and awesome vfx. Bring it update and don't go saying that he's killing the last other immortal ever at the end because you know they're just going to make a sequel, and don't set it in space and don't make them aliens. I think making a great intelligent screenplay is key to this, and I wouldn't mind seeing this film be a hard R either, although in this economy that's doubtful, but come on, the heads need to role, it's a narrative component integral to the series. Nuff said
SlashBeast

I always thought Highlander would benefit if it wasn't so stuck in it's time period (the 80's). BUT, this movie will fail for 3 reasons: 1 - The original is a cult classic. 2 - Justin Lin. 3 - No Queen soundtrack.
Terence S

I'd agree with SlashBeast, the Queen soundtrack was a big plus. That's why we don't see any good Flash Gordon remakes as well.
tazz

#3 SlashBeast i agree with you SlashBeast. whats going to make this movie worst is: 1 - it will be a PG-13 2 - Queen music for Highlander will be covered by Linkin Park 3 - Pepsi, Coke, Pizza Hut, etc will sponsored the marketing for the movie 4 - crappy Highlander video game movie 5 - the director and producer going to say its going to be dark like Batman Begins/TDK
harm

Ok I thought they were already getting Kevin McKidd to star in the reboot? Does this negate that? As long as they actually get a Scotsman to play Connor McCloud then thats all that matters I suppose. And yes if they are going to reboot it, they still need to use Queens theme from the first movie. Occasionally in the shower I still start singing that one! And it doesn't need to be darkened. It just needs to mesh a bit more with reality. The first one was campy even for the 80's. The battles need to be more epic, show the immortals gaining power, not just a campy swordfight that ends in lightening. Battles like the Anime where you can see that with each foe they kill they are stronger, faster etc. It needs more immortals than the 4 from the first movie. Lets see some bloodshed! And enough of the wannabe Asian worship. Historically just because someone is from Japan/China does not make them a BAD A with a sword. And their swords are not all powerful. Stop acting like they are! Give him a 2 handed European Fencing sword and be done with it!
Sabes

I really like the concept of Highlander, but seeing the list of names you said would be working on it doesn't make me happy. I think it has potential, but I'm very skeptical at this point.
judasbarron

Part one IS a classic! 2 sucked monkey ovary! 3 was a shitty Highlander part one wannabe (as far as the villain was concerned). 4 was ok but "The Source" killed the ENTIRE series! Jesus, my head hurt over that garbage. I don't mind a 're-imagining' as long as the sword fights are THE SHIT! I mean, all the sword fights (except 4) were horrible and that's only because Donnie Yen helped with 4 along with Adrian Paul's real life sifu. This movie has SO much potential that it kills me when they f**k up such an easy concept! PLEASE don't mess this movie up. Dark story with a little humor. Wicked ass sword fights (with regular hand to hand included)! GOOD love,revenge,PLOT TWISTING story with great "I care about what happens to this character" characterization! And for heavens sake:these immortals claim to take anothers "power/energy" yet you never really see them get smarter, stronger, or quicker! WTF?! Highlander is almost like a damn RPG if you think about these guys as 'leveling up.' Maybe I need to send a draft to hollywood or whoever so this shit can get done RIGHT!
SlashBeast

#5 I agree with you (Linkin Park - LOL!). But you're contradicting yourself a bit. You criticize it for being PG-13 AND criticize it for being dark? The original was DARK. People's heads were being severed, the hero has to deal with some heavy lessons (the Who Wants to Live Forever seen is still haunting).
Adam

Why the hell does Hollywood have to reboot a.k.a.(ruin) everything these days,Highlander should be left alone. Russell Mulcahy did it right the first time!
Matt

Besides my love of film, this is exactly why I'm going to Film School. Leave the past alone, this is a Classic that should not be Touched!!!!!!! New Ideas should be made into films not rehashing everything from the 80's. It's bad enough they had to mess with my childhood TV shows. Like the Ateam and McGuyver. Will this madness ever stop?!
Governor

What! No Queen soundtrack? Kill this movie now!
tazz

#9 SlashBeast sorry u got my point wrong i was saying that the director and producer going to say its going to be dark like Batman Begins/TDK. meaning that every comic book movies and sci-fi fantasy movies that been reboot the directors and film studios want to reference the term "dark" to Batman Begins/TDK thats was rated PG-13. so basically if they going to make Highlander into a dark PG-13 movie cause Batman Begins/TDK proves that you can have a dark PG-13 movie. i agree the original was dark but we never used the term dark to describe Highlander back in the days. we used the term dark more often since the success of Batman Begins/TDK. dont get me wrong i love Batman Begins/TDK but im hoping they dont reference that movie to Highlander.
Ryan

No, no, no! Highlander is one hell of a movie that shouldn't be remade, especially after what happened with Endgame and The Source.
SlashBeast

#13 - tazz I got you. Highlander may not be "dark" in the current sense of the word, but more "adult". This movie will still fail though (no Queen soundtrack!).
Peter T'Sas

Waste of time and money. Maybe some early teenagers will go and see it in search of a hero.
Kazzy

Instead of Queen, MUSE should do the new soundtrack!
I am Ron Burgandy?

Sweet! Everyone on his site cries bout remakes on classics God forbid someone damns your dusty VHS tape of Highlander with a fresh script and modern tech..... It was a really cool concept and deserves a remake! I am def curious, and if it sux? ...oh well, no sweat off my balls! Ricky Bobby: Wow, I feel like I'm in Highlander. Jean Girard: What is the Highlander? Ricky Bobby: It's a movie. Jean Girard: Oh. Any good? Ricky Bobby: Very good. It won the Academy Award. Jean Girard: For what? Ricky Bobby: For best movie ever made!
Arthur

I never comment on this site (or any site) but when I read this article, i had to respond. Do not attempt this remake. I loved the original, it is a classic and they are only going to ruin it (see the seques). This movie is still one of my favorites that I see over and over again. The Queen sound track was magic!
Allen Reeve

Everyone associate's christopher lambert as the highlander, sean connery. why make it again you cannot make something that as already been done and is a classic, you cannot bring christopher lambert back as he is getting on in age and will not look imortal and sean connery is retired it just sound's like a bad mistake to me?
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

'Who wants to live forever?' Shitty remakes apparently...
bozo

Mommy mommy!!! Look!!!! A reboot!!!
KelliAnn Cullen

This is a travesty. While there was no continuity what so ever with the sequels, the original is a true classic. Without Connor, Ramirez and the Kurgan battling to an epic Queen soundtrack I can't imagine a reboot being anything other than an Epic-Fail. I truly hope that the writers either reconsider all together or are able to, by some great miracle, pull an awesome script and cast out of their a$$es and do justice to the original. Fans of the original can only hold on to what we already have and pray for the best.
Daniel

Highlander: There can only be one! Or two. Or three.....
goudos

Highlander has bee remade, reimagined, rebooted, and completely f'ed up since Highlander 2, so do whatever you want to it at this point, it does not matter.
shitstick

oh just fucking great. a decent flick like Highlander being remade by the fucking hacks that did Fast&Furious. what absolute fucking garbage movies. but I guess it they were good for all the pre-pubies out there. what a waste money. out to be a goddam crime.
Fed Up With Hollywood

I just threw up in my mouth a little. I say we take off and nuke Hollywood from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...