Henry Cavill’s ‘Highlander’ Reboot Add ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star to Its Growing Cast

Karen Gillan is the latest star to join the cast of Amazon MGM’s remake of Highlander, the 1980s cult classic. Gillan, who is known for playing the cybernetic alien Nebula in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers movies, could be adding a third big franchise to her resume.

She also starred in Sony’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level, with a third installment on the way.

The Highlander reboot has been in development for years. According to reports, David Abramowitz, who wrote and executive produced Highlander: The Series, worked on polishing the script back in 2013.

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan was hired to direct in October of that year. In 2014, there were talks to have Tom Cruise play the role of Ramirez, but Cruise was busy with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and was reportedly not considering other projects at that time. James Jaysen Bryhan was later rumored for the role of Ramirez.

In February 2015, wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista was cast as The Kurgan. Over the next few years, the project went through several changes. Chad Stahelski was confirmed as the director in November 2016, with Ryan J. Condal brought in for the script. The reboot stayed in “heavy development mode” from June 2020.

Henry Cavill entered talks for a lead role in May 2021, though his character was not confirmed until two years later.

In June 2025, Russell Crowe signed on to play Ramirez. Cavill is set to star as MacLeod, with Stahelski still directing and Mike Finch writing the screenplay. The film has a reported budget of over $100 million, with producers including Joshua Davis, Moritz, Stahelski, and Louise Rosner.

The main cast now includes Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe as Ramirez, and Dave Bautista as the savage warrior The Kurgan. Karen Gillan has joined the sword-swinging cast, and Marisa Abela from Industry will also have a leading role.

Gillan’s addition is generating excitement among fans, who are eager to see her take on a new action-packed franchise. With a mix of established stars like Cavill and Crowe, and action veterans like Bautista, the Highlander reboot is shaping up to be a high-stakes, visually stunning film.

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