It's all been very quiet on the Highlander front lately, but the first bit of news in a while has just emerged to indicate that the remake is at least still happening. Twilight** writer Melissa Rosenberg has been brought in by Summit Entertainment to take a crack at the new Highlander screenplay{
The rebooted saga of the immortal beheaded was first announced in 2009, and the last we heard, Fast and Furious director Justin Lin was attached to direct, with the plan that Highlander would get going in between Fast Five and Fast and Furious 6.
Whether that's still the case is unclear, but the fact that its script is back under scrutiny does suggest that Highlander might indeed be gearing up. Rosenberg at first glance seems an odd fit for the material, but on reflection makes a kind of sense.
Having written all five Twilight scripts, she knows her way around a certain type of immortal-based fantasy saga. And producers Neil Moritz and Peter Davis are well-aware that a core contingent of the Highlander fanbase - particularly where the TV series was concerned - were into the romantic elements more than the sword-fighting.
Initial drafts were by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man and Punisher: War Zone) before Highlander passed to husband-and-wife writing team The Wibberleys (the National Treasure films), so there looks to be some sort of progression there from a harder comic-book style to something with more "heart". Expect Connor McLeod to watch at least one love grow old and die before his still-young eyes. Whether it'll be a montage cut to a Queen ballad remains to be seen, but we can hope.
And if this story has been one long facepalm for you, maybe you can take some solace from the knowledge that Rosenberg was also heavily involved (as a writer and producer) with the first season of Dexter. Maybe we're in for some proper killing after all...