Karen Gillan confirmed for role in reboot of beloved classic franchise – and she's using her own accent
The Guardians of the Galaxy actor will star alongside Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe and more.
Karen Gillan has found her next major role in Amazon MGM’s upcoming Highlander reboot, joining previously announced cast members Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista and Marisa Abela.
The upcoming film, which is set to be helmed by the John Wick franchise’s Chad Stahelski, is a reboot of the 1986 fantasy film of the same name that follows Connor MacLeod, a mysterious Scottish Highlander who realises he is immortal, trains under another immortal warrior called Ramirez, and fights other immortal warriors across centuries, culminating in a final battle.
Cavill is leading the cast of the remake as MacLeod, a role played by Christopher Lambert in the 1986 film, while Russell Crowe has been cast as Ramirez, another immortal warrior and MacLeod’s mentor.
Meanwhile, Dave Bautista will play the ruthless warrior called The Kurgen, while Industry actress Marisa Abela also has a leading role.
Gillan will star as Heather, MacLeod’s mortal wife. Announcing the news on Instagram on Thursday (21st August), she wrote in a reference to the fact that she's Scottish: "My dialect coach can sit this one out… so excited to be an actual Highlander in Highlander."
Stalheski previously said the Highlander reboot could be the start of a new fantasy franchise, revealing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that "our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that", but also brings "in elements of all the TV shows".
He continued: "We’re trying to do a bit of a prequel, a set-up to The Gathering [a 1992 episode of the series], so we have room to grow the property."
He continued: "If we got our s**t together and pulled off the feature, like, yeah, we have ideas for days about how to make the coolest characters and to make that an epic TV show."
Gillan is best known for playing Nebula in Marvel Studio’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers series, and has also had roles in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jumanji: The Next Level and Doctor Who, in which she appeared as the Eleventh Doctor’s (Matt Smith) companion across three seasons.
By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
She is currently starring in The Life of Chuck, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novella of the same name that charts the story of a man’s life in reverse across three acts, alongside Mark Hamill and Tom Hiddleston.
Filming on the remake will kick off in September in Scotland.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
