HIGHLANDER
HENRY Cavill has revealed how he’s “always been proud of my Scottish heritage” and can’t wait to find out more filming the reboot of Highlander next year.
The original 1986 Highlander film starred Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown as immortal beings, hunting down one another. It spawned four sequels and three TV series.
Now director Chad Stahelski is rebooting the franchise with Henry expected to take Lambert’s original role of Connor MacLeod.
While he was born and raised in Jersey, Henry, 38, can trace his Scots ancestry through his mum, Marianne Dalgliesh, whose surname is one of the actor’s Christian names.
He said: “I have always been proud of my Scottish heritage, but Highlander has given me an excuse to delve into my roots that little bit deeper.
“I have been doing a lot of reading on Scottish soldiers, battles, and of course the history of the kilt.”
The Superman star is red hot property now with the success of The Witcher on Netflix – the second series is currently the No1 streamed show in the UK.
The sword and sorcery epic has shown just how Henry could look in the rebooted of 80s cult favourite Highlander.
And Henry, who is best known for playing Superman which he has done since 2013’s Man of Steel, teased that the new film, like the original, will be making use of the Scottish scenery.
He said: “Filming is hopefully going to start next year and while locations have not been confirmed I do hope at least a good part of it is filmed in Scotland.
“The TV series wasn’t, but the original filmed a lot of its scenes in
The Highlands and it gave it a real sense of authenticity. Plus an excuse to spend time in Scotland is never a bad thing.”
In the original film, Eilean Donan Castle in Wester Ross doubles as the Highlander castle. Glen Etive was used for Connor’s first battle scene and, during a training montage between Connor and Connery’s fellow immortal and mentor Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, scenes were shot at Trotternish Ridge and the Cuillin mountains on the Isle of Skye, the Torridon hills and the silver sands of Morar, Mallaig.
As well as Connery and Lambert, Clancy Brown played Connor’s nemesis, The Kurgan, who wants to win the Prize – gaining all the power of the immortals, hence the film’s tagline “In the end, there can be only one”.
Henry, the fourth of five brothers, was a huge fan of the 80s film.
And he admitted: “There always feels a duty when you take on something so iconic to say you have always been a fan – but in my case it really is true. I was a small boy – the movie was so 80s it was incredible and then I have great memories of watching the TV show with my brothers.”
For the actor it’s another franchise with a big fanbase. Since his breakout role in Man of Steel, he’s played Napoleon Solo in the film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the baddie in Mission: