Key Takeaways

• Jeremy Irons joins the Highlander remake as the leader of The Watchers.
• Henry Cavill stars as Connor MacLeod, an immortal warrior in the film.
• Production is expected to resume in early 2026 after a delay due to Cavill’s injury.
• Bautista hints at action sequences comparable to John Wick.

Few actors sink their teeth into villainy quite like Jeremy Irons, and the great actor is set to lend his talents to the Highlander remake starring Henry Cavill. THR reports that Irons has joined the cast of the upcoming project as “the leader of a secret order called The Watchers, who are keeping an eye on the immortals and see them as a threat to humanity.” He’ll be the secondary antagonist alongside Dave Bautista as The Kurgen.

Cavill will play Connor MacLeod, a Medieval Scottish Highlander who discovers he is an immortal warrior. With help from a swordsman named Ramirez, played by Russell Crowe, MacLeod battles other immortals across time. The cast includes Karen Gillian as MacLeod’s Scottish wife, Marisa Abela as his modern-day love interest, Djimon Hounsou as an immortal warrior from Africa, and Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy‘s Max Zhang in an undisclosed role. WWE superstar Drew McIntyre recently joined the cast as Angus MacLeod, the brother of Cavill’s character.

The Highlander project reportedly has major franchise aspirations, and Irons’ role as the head of a secret order certainly sounds like one that will develop further. Irons has played many fun roles over the years, but whenever I think of him, my mind immediately turns to Lisa Simpson playing the anagram game (Jeremy’s Iron). Sorry, Jeremy. That’s what you’ve been reduced to in my clunky brain.

Production on Highlander was supposed to begin very soon, but Cavill was injured while training for the film. Filming is expected to resume in early 2026. Once it does pick up, the film will shoot in Scotland, England, and Hong Kong.

Bautista recently teased that the project will have John Wick-level action sequences. “I was so blown away by the script because, without saying too much, this is such a great reboot. We’re still paying tribute and giving a nod to the original, but making it new and fresh and exciting, and also just universe-building. It’s just so much bigger than the original,” he said. “The action is on par with John Wick. I’m afraid I’m going to say too much. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think people are going to be blown away by this because it’s bigger than you imagine, and it’s new enough that you won’t be seeing the same thing. If you saw the original, you’re still not going to know what the story is.“

In other projects, Irons is set to reprise the role of Wallace Westwyld in The Beekeeper 2, which recently started shooting.