Henry Cavill’s injury won’t prevent production on The Highlander from getting underway this year.
In an interview with Collider, Dave Bautista discussed his preparations for the Highlander reboot, which Chad Stahelski (John Wick) will direct. Bautista says his training began well before any contract was signed and has been among the toughest regimens of his career.
“I actually began training before I even had the part. Chad and I spoke, he asked me to come to London and start preparing, and I did — a couple of weeks later everything was formalized. So I’ve been training a lot, and it’s been brutal. It wasn’t just stunt work, fencing and general combat — there were heavy strength sessions as well. Chad also asked me to add a few pounds, so the workload has been intense.”
Since August he’s been based in London, juggling preparation with shooting Ilya Naishuller’s House by the Road 2. Despite the punishing schedule, Bautista speaks of the role without complaint, calling it the part of a lifetime. He will portray the Kurgan, the principal antagonist to Connor MacLeod — the character played by Henry Cavill.
Bautista confirmed that production was briefly delayed after Cavill’s injury, but said filming is set to begin on November 28 and that training will continue until then. While The Highlander may echo Stahelski’s John Wick work in some respects, Bautista emphasized that the film’s tone and fight choreography will be wholly different, describing the project as a breakthrough.
The news of an imminent shoot brings hope the film can still meet its planned timeline. Stahelski had previously indicated an expected release in 2027 or 2028, but after Cavill’s injury it looked as though the premiere might be pushed back. Reports suggested filming would be delayed past the autumn start date and not begin until 2026, since Cavill would require roughly six months of rehabilitation.
Source: iXBT.games