Chad Stahelski Will Oversee ‘Highlander’ and ‘John Wick’ Franchises
There’s been years of rumors and talk about a new Highlander movie, potentially directed by John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski and starring Henry Cavill, but no actual film to show for it. But perhaps today’s news makes a new Highlander much more likely: Stahelski has reportedly been given a bigger role at Lionsgate, where he will now have “creative oversight” over Highlander and John Wick “across film, TV and all multimedia platforms.”
For whatever reason, a new Highlander film franchise has been a very tough nut to crack. There are articles in our archive about a reboot dating back to the start of ScreenCrush over a decade ago. (Did you know Ryan Reynolds was supposed to star in that version? He was!) A few years ago, Stahelski got involved, and Cavill became attached as well. But as of yet there cannot even be only one new Highlander movie — nothing has come of all those years of development.
READ MORE: Chad Stahelski Breaks Down John Wick: Chapter 4’s Best Sequence
Here was Stahelski’s comment on the news (per Variety):
I am pleased to be able to grow my relationship with Lionsgate in this new oversight role for the John Wick universe and its further expansion. John Wick is so close to my heart and to be able to continue shepherding it will be a blast for me. I'm so happy to also be launching another franchise with Highlander, a world that is so rich with engaging stories to be told.
While the most recent John Wick could be interpreted as a series finale, Stahelski and company left just enough wiggle room to perhaps continue the saga with a fifth feature at some point down the line. (Stahelski has said there’s nothing definite regarding a Chapter 5 so far.) But even if there isn’t a fifth movie, the John Wick franchise is still expanding; the first TV series, The Continental, premiered on Peacock last year and the first spinoff film, Ballerina, is scheduled to open in theaters on June 7.
