The Big Picture
- Chad Stahelski's Highlander movie is set to start filming in January in Scotland. Henry Cavill will play the lead in Stahelski's Highlander reboot.
- Stahelski is excited to blend period piece elements with sci-fi in the upcoming film.
- Stahelski says they've got cast training for stunts and sword fighting up and running.
Chad Stahelski is gearing up for his next big project, Highlander, for which he has now revealed new filming details. Henry Cavill is on board as the star of the reboot, and his enthusiasm for the film was palpable, as he explained at CinemaCon earlier this year. During an interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Malta, Stahelski shared insights into this exciting new chapter. Last year, Stahelski told Collider that he was aiming to have the film in production within a year, so he wasn't too far off, as he recently told Weintraub:
"We start shooting in January in Scotland, that's why I go right after I leave. I go to Scotland on Monday to do the final location scout."
The film promises to showcase Stahelski's signature action style, particularly in sword fighting, a challenging yet thrilling element for the director. He acknowledged the cinematic nature of such fights, and expressed his enthusiasm for the project, and all the history behind it. "It’s another opportunity to do a property that I love," Stahelski said. "I love what it's about, I love working with immortality and love stories through time. I think it's a good way to take a great period piece, and sci-fi, and mix them together."
Chad Stahelski Wants to Balance Sword Fighting with Action Scenes
Stahelski emphasized the complexity of training actors to handle swords convincingly, highlighting that achieving realistic and engaging action sequences requires significant preparation and dedication. However, when it comes to balancing authenticity with entertainment, Stahelski is cautious not to let the film become just a series of sword fights. As the man in total control of the franchise now, what he says, goes.
His action work has been mainly based around gunfights to date, so switching to steel presents a challenge for him, particularly because audiences have been trained in what to expect based on their own histories.
“I'll keep it to the core. Most audiences, I'll use the gun analogy, most of what you know about gunfights or car chases, because most of us don't get involved in gun fights, or car chases, or sword fights, we learn through movies. And what those movies show you is about 95% bullshit. You don't fight 50 guys with your bare hands and then walk away, but it's fun. It’s wish fulfillment. So John Wick, we know it's a cartoon — I know it's not — but we also have fun with it. But we do tactical reloads, we try to do fire manipulations, stuff like the professionals do, the military do. But then we have fun with it, you know? Sword work is very much the same.”
Chad Stahelski Thinks Audiences Wouldn't Believe How Long Learning Stuntwork Takes
Although armed with the finest stunt team in the world at his disposal, Stahelski noted that training the actors themselves in fighting and choreography presented an immense challenge, comparing it to training members of the public in how to become superstar athletes. Stahelski added that even Keanu Reeves, the star of the John Wick movies, took a decade to learn how to do what he does so efficiently, so he has to ensure he can trust his actors to not take each others' eyes out during a sword fight.
"There's some very interesting sword styles out there, but most of the time, we don't have a lot of time, or we don't have access to some people, or the cast members…sometimes you only have three or four days, or three or four weeks to train the cast member. Actors are no different than you. If you have become an NBA basketball player, could you do it in three weeks? Could you do it in three months? Could you do it in three years? Yet the burden is on us to make it look like they’re the best in the world that has ever lived.
I don't think you understand what kind of time that takes. We can use a few movie tricks, stunt doubles, editorial. But at the end of the day, you still have to believe it. But when you see Keanu Reeves doing gunwork, that’s Keanu Reeves. When you see Keanu drive, that is Keanu driving the car. And that has taken the better part of 10 years to get to that point."
"Swords, to me, are of one of the trickiest things to do in fight scenes, because if I mess up too much with the firearm, the muzzle flashes are digital," he added. "So we don't have to worry about hurting anyone. When we do car stuff, that's also a big concern. But there's ways now, cables that take some of the hazards out for the cast." He went on to explain that with "Swords, it's a little trickier because now I got to trust that my actors are swinging this piece of metal at each other, and hopefully not gonna take their eyes out or stab somebody. Every sword movie, somebody gets poked or hit on the head or something like that. It takes a little bit more skill and a little bit more dedication. So that's always a concern."
Stahelski is just as concerned with keeping the audience entertained, saying: “Sometimes a three-minute sword fight can be a little boring. So I'm more worried about, ‘Am I going to bore you with a movie about sword fighting?’ And how do I sprinkle in firearms, and martial arts, and car chases, and what's the story part of things? I have to get all that as well."
Chad Stahelski Wants 'Highlander' to Present a New Style of Sword Fighting
With faith in his team to make everything look convincing, Stahelski isn't worried about the details of how well his actors swing swords — his goal now is to bring together all of the moving pieces, to deliver the best film he can, while showcasing sword fighting to a new generation. He said:
"Most of our concerns now are not really about training cast. We've got that machine up and running, and I think we have the right cast. We have the right people. We have the right trainers. We've dug up some of the best sword people I’ve ever met in my life in the last six months, that are helping us. It's more about how do you bring it all together and make it something. It's not Princess Bride, it's not Crouching Tiger, it's not Master & Commander, it's not Zorro. What's this new look of action or sword fighting that people could be excited about? That keeps me up at night."
With a huge star as his lead and top-notch trainers, Stahelski is optimistic about bringing Highlander to life. As a master of action cinema, his commitment to redefining swordplay on screen while maintaining a compelling story is sure to excite fans of the original and newcomers alike. Stay tuned to Collider for more on Highlander as filming preparation heats up. In the meantime, the original Highlander is available to rent on Prime Video.
Highlander
RActionAdventureFantasyAn immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize”.
Release Date March 7, 1986 Director Russell Mulcahy Cast Christopher Lambert , Roxanne Hart , Clancy Brown , Sean Connery , Beatie Edney , Alan North Runtime 116 minutes Main Genre Adventure Writers Gregory Widen , Peter Bellwood , Larry Ferguson Tagline There can be only one. ExpandncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51ktaqzx6WYp5yVp3qzscGopq1llp65rrXNoGSdnaSWtq2%2FjJyfmpxdqMGitMSlqqShXw%3D%3D