Not only are Man of Steel stars, Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe, set to swing swords together in the remake of the 1986 film, but now word is out that Crowe could be sharing the screen with his former Gladiator co-star as well. After promising that he would see Maximus again ("but not yet...not yet"), The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Djimon Hounsou, who played Juba in the 2000 masterpiece, has signed on for a role described as "an immortal warrior from Africa." If they do cross blades, it would be the first time we've seen them together in over 25 years.
Crowe will be playing Ramirez, the mentor to Henry Cavill's titular Highlander, Connor MacLeod, who, during the 16th century, discovers he's part of a rare race of immortals that are drawn to lopping each other's heads off in a tradition that spans centuries until only one can remain. Sean Connery previously played Crowe's role in the 1986 film, taking on the part of the Spanish Egyptian swordsman, which everyone was perfectly fine with, as we were too busy rocking out to Queen's "Who Wants To Live Forever" and "It's A Kind of Magic."
Hounsou is the latest new name joining the film after it was confirmed that his Guardians of the Galaxy co-stars, Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan (yep, there's another get-together), were announced. Bautista is taking on the role of The Kurgen, previously played by Clancy Brown, who is feared among the immortals as being a lethal killer, and sets his sights on MacLeod when they are among the last few that remain. Karen Gillan is playing MacLeod's original Scottish romance, while Marisa Abela will catch Connor's eye in the present day.
It's an immensely reassuring sign that these are the kinds of stars being drawn together in a film that the John Wick director has been tinkering with since 2016. Unfortunately, we're still going to have to wait a bit longer, with the director promising back in May that "In 2027 or 2028, you’ll be watching Highlander.” We sure hope so. We're still not sure who wants to live forever, but we can't wait much longer, either. While we do, though, take a look at our guide to the other best upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.
