Dave Bautista Reportedly in Final Talks for Highlander Remake as The Kurgan

Actor and former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista is reportedly lining up his next role. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the former WWE Champion is in final talks to to portray the villain in the upcoming Amazon MGM remake of Highlander.

Bautista reportedly in final negotiations to join the Highlander cast opposite stars Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe for the action-fantasy feature. The film is currently in the works from Amazon MGM’s United Artists banner, and it’s slated to receive a theatrical release.

Chad Stahelski (John Wick) is directing the remake from a script by Michael Finch, which is slated to start principal photography in late September, with shooting scheduled for the UK and Hong Kong.

The original 1986 feature starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, a Medieval Scottish Highlander who learns that he’s an immortal warrior. The warriors all compete in a game for thousands of years, where they must sever their opponents’ heads, with the final one earning a coveted prize. MacLeod gains help from another immortal, Ramirez (Sean Connery), and faces another brutal immortal, The Kurgan (Clancy Brown). The original film spawned multiple sequels and also a popular syndicated television series.

The remake will feature Cavill as the new MacLeod, while Crowe will portray Ramirez. Marisa Abela is also set to be featured in a lead role. THR reports that Bautista is circling the role of The Kurgan, who it appears will once again be the villain in the remake.

Bautista was eyeing the role of The Kurgan beforehand when a Highlander remake was in the works back in 2015 under director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan for Summit Entertainment. However, it never materialized. The actor has had success with other Amazon collaborations in the past, including My Spy and its sequel, My Spy: The Eternal City. He also starred in the Amazon action comedy, The Wrecking Crew, opposite Jason Momoa.

THR also notes that Bautista is in talks to star in Amazon MGM’s upcoming sequel to The Roadhouse, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal. Deadline reports that Bautista will join the cast opposite the returning Gyllenhaal, who reprises his role as Dalton from a script by Will Beall.

Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt are producing the remake along with Neal H. Moritz for Stahelski’s 87Eleven Entertainment, Josh Davis of Davis Panzer Productions, and Louise Rosner.