We learned last month that Summit Entertainment has set first-time director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan on their long-gestating reboot of the Highlander franchise. Today, The =Wrap brings word that Summit is keen on convincing Tom Cruise to play a role similar to the immortal Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez, played in the 1986 original by the equally-immortal Sean Connery.
The original Highlander also stars Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, an immortal Scottish swordsman who, after centuries of dueling to survive against others like him, is forced to confront one final foe: a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the prize that comes with being the last immortal.
Although there’s no confirmation as to whether or not Cruise might have any inclination to join Highlander, knowing that he’s a top choice gives us some idea of the direction Nicolas-Troyan is heading with his remake.
Cruise, who starred earlier this year in Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow, has a number of sequels on the way. First, he’ll be back as Ethan Hunt in the Christopher McQuarrie-helmed Mission: Impossible 5, hitting theaters December 25, 2015. He’ll then return as Jack Reacher for a big screen sequel to his 2012 action thriller (this one will be based on Lee Child’s most recent Reacher novel, “Never Go Back”) with plans to also reprise his role as Maverick in a followup to the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun.
(Photo Credit: C. Smith / WENN.com)
