The “Man of Steel” star is picking up a sword again after exiting Netflix’s “The Witcher.”

Henry Cavill debuts first look at his new Highlander from John Wick director at CinemaCon

The "Man of Steel" star is picking up a sword again after exiting Netflix's "The Witcher."

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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April 16, 2026 2:01 a.m. ET

Henry Cavill in Gold Coast, Australia, on Feb. 7, 2025. Credit:

Chris Hyde/Getty

Henry Cavill may be finished with *The Witcher*, but that doesn't mean he's done with high fantasy.

The *Man of Steel *star is portraying immortal blacksmith Connor MacLeod in a new version of *Highlander*, which debuted its first footage during Amazon MGM's presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Cavill introduced the footage in a pre-recorded message he filmed on set.

The film is directed by Chad Stahelski, who helmed all four of the *John Wick* films. Though Stahelski has contributed sturdy second-unit action direction to films like *Captain America: Civil War* and DC's *Birds of Prey*, *Highlander* marks his first project as the main director outside of the *John Wick* series.

Chad Stahelski in Los Angeles on March 23, 2023. Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

*Highlander *also stars Russell Crowe (who previously played Cavill's dad in *Man of Steel*), Dave Bautista, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, and Jeremy Irons (who faced off against Cavill's Superman in *Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice*), all of whom appeared in the CinemaCon footage.

The preview was a combination of clips from the movie and behind-the-scenes looks at production.

Cavill's character introduces himself. "I am Connor Macleod. I was born in 1518. And I am immortal!" he says.

Abela explains the basic premise of the film. "They are all racing towards this event, which is called the gathering, which will mean there can only be one," she said during her prerecorded message.

Bautista, whose character Kurgan appears to be a Nazi, added, "How they become the one is by killing other immortals."

Stahelski also noted that the music of Queen will be included in the film, just as it was in the 1986 original.

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Much of the imagery shared on Wednesday looked remarkably similar to the *John Wick* series: intense hand-to-hand combat, nightclubs, slick pavement, motorcycles, and an overwhelming amount of flashing lights.

However, in his concluding pre-recorded remarks, Cavill noted that production is only halfway finished, and they have yet to begin filming in the Scottish Highlands, Hong Kong, and Poland.

The fantasy franchise began in 1986 with Russell Mulcahy's *Highlander*, starring Christopher Lambert as Connor. The series follows a group of centuries-old immortal warriors who can only be killed via beheading.

Christopher Lambert in 'Highlander'. ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

*Highlander* received four live-action sequels, two live-action TV spinoffs, an animated series, and an anime movie installment. None of the theatrical films were financial successes, but the franchise has nonetheless gained a cult following.

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Cavill previously discussed his relationship with the *Highlander *franchise at CinemaCon in 2024. "I am a lover of the original movies, for better or worse," Cavill said. "It's one of those things where reading the script, I wasn't quite sure where they were going to go."

He added, "If you think you've seen me do sword work before, you haven't seen anything yet."

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies

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