Now here’s a thing. Dave Bautista – Drax in Guardians Of The Galaxy and Mr. Hinx in **Spectre **– is filling a Kurgan-shaped hole in the fast-developing Highlander reboot. According to the reliable Latino Review, Bautista will be destroying more stuff in the role filled by Clancy Brown in the 1986 fantasy movie.
The Kurgan is, of course, the arch-nemesis of Connor MacLeod, a barbarian with an iffy temperament and a nasty habit of decapitating news reporters. Brown brought a touch of panto villain to the original film but plenty of menace, too, in his quest to slay the other remaining immortals.
This planned dusting off of the mind-bending mythology and katana-wielding cult classic has been bubbling under for some time as Summit Entertainment has tried to pin down directors and stars. The lead role of immortal Scotsman Connor MacLeod remains unfilled, with Ryan Reynolds signing up and then later exiting, but now director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan has his bad guy in place, a hero can’t be far behind. Hard to imagine Bautista, an actor in the middle of a moment, signing up for a project that’s doomed to drift through time like some kind of mysterious ronin movie.
Stresses the VFX man-turned-director: “We have to find that younger emerging guy, and surround him with a strong Kurgan, and an actor who shines as Ramirez the way Connery did in that film.” Expect more casting news soon on that basis, although there’s no further word on Tom Cruise’s potential involvement in the Sean Connery/Ramirez role, a rumour that surfaced last November.
So what of Bautista as The Kurgan? Share your thoughts in the usual space...