Jeremy Irons Joins Henry Cavill In ‘Highlander’ as Leader of The Watchers

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Joining Henry Cavill in the upcoming reboot of Highlander is Jeremy Irons. He’s the newest actor confirmed to be part of the film, directed by Chad Stahelski.

Playing The Watchers’ Leader

Industry sources say Jeremy Irons will portray one of the movie’s villains, alongside Dave Bautista as Kurgan – he’ll be playing the head of a clandestine organization called The Watchers. This group, in the new version of the story, is shown as keeping tabs on immortals and believing they pose a threat to people.

Viewers who enjoyed the Adrian Paul TV show will be familiar with The Watchers, as they originally appeared there. This new development reinforces what Stahelski has stated about taking direct inspiration from the television series.

In the Adrian Paul series, The Watchers are a hidden group of humans dedicated to watching and recording the lives and battles of Immortals, but they have a strict rule against getting involved in “The Game.” However, some Watchers didn’t agree with this approach and believed the Immortals were dangerous. It will be fascinating to see how Stahelski develops this concept in his take on the story.

Ties to the DCEU

Jeremy Irons is well-known to fans of the genre, as he previously played Alfred Pennyworth in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.

This casting makes him the second leading actor from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) to be in Highlander, joining Russell Crowe, who portrays Ramirez. Cavill, of course, previously played Superman within the DCEU.

The Growing Cast

The cast now features Henry Cavill as Connor MacLeod, Russell Crowe as Ramirez, Dave Bautista playing the villain Kurgan, Karen Gillan as Heather, and Marisa Abela in a new leading role as an immortal. Joining them are Djimon Hounsou, Max Zhang, and Drew McIntyre from WWE as Angus MacLeod, who is Connor MacLeod’s (played by Henry Cavill) brother.

The Highlander Legacy

I recently revisited the original Highlander film from 1986, and it still holds up! It’s a fantastic story about a battle between immortals – specifically, Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod and Sean Connery as Ramirez – facing off against the truly menacing Kurgan, played by Clancy Brown. It quickly became a cult classic, spawning several sequels and, notably, the TV series starring Adrian Paul. That series is where we first really got to know The Watchers, a fascinating part of the Highlander universe.

Directed by Stahelski and supported by Amazon MGM’s United Artists, Highlander is looking to be a major fantasy reboot, potentially one of the largest in recent years.

Currently, the film doesn’t have a confirmed release date. Production has been temporarily stopped because Henry Cavill sustained an injury during training on set, but it’s anticipated to restart at the beginning of next year.

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2025-10-01 07:02