There cannot be only one...

Published on Saturday 31 May 2008 19:59

IT IS the film that defined Scotland's international image as a race of kilted warriors. It spawned four sequels, three TV series, a Japanese animated version, comics, books and toys, and it brought tourists to the Highlands in their thousands.

But in the 22 years since the original Highlander came out, the movie tourists have dried up and the last sequel was shot on the cheap in Lithuania and went straight to video.

Now the original film is to be remade, featuring a 25m budget, stars of the calibre of Ewan McGregor and James McAvoy, Scottish locations and a screenplay from the writers of current superhero hit Iron Man.

The hope is that the new version will reinvent and reinvigorate the franchise, just as Casino Royale did for James Bond.

Peter Davis, one of the producers of the original film, has signed a deal with Summit Entertainment, a major American company whose previous hits include the comedies American Pie and Mr & Mrs Smith.

Company president Patrick Wachsberger said: "I have always dreamed of reinventing this franchise. As a brand, it is hard to think of one that has greater worldwide recognition with audiences young and old."

The 1986 film starred French actor Christopher Lambert as a Highland warrior called Connor MacLeod and Sean Connery as his exotic mentor. MacLeod belonged to a mysterious race of men who were virtually immortal, and the story jumped between 16th-century Scotland and modern-day New York.

A TV series ran for more than 100 episodes in the 1990s, and a whole mythology was built up around the main characters, who have to battle each other through the centuries until only one survives.

Fans have travelled from as far away as Australia to visit key locations such as Glenfinnan and Eilean Donan Castle. But more recent sequels have disappointed even hard-core fans.

Davis, who continues in his role as producer, said the new film will go back to the original story and will shoot on location in Scotland. But there will be new elements too.

"You don't do a remake and do the exact same," said Davis, speaking from his base in California. "That would be a little silly. It will depart from the original. There's going to be prequel aspects to it. Believe me, it will be an exciting new story."

The original mixed sci-fi fantasy with old-fashioned swashbuckling action. Davis said they would also be developing the romantic aspects of the story. "The issues of an immortal falling in love with a woman and knowing she's going to grow old and die in your arms – those are very romantic issues to deal with," he said.

Art Marcum and Matt Holloway are currently working on the script. They are two of the team of four writers who helped turn Iron Man from one of the comic world's B-list superheroes into a huge international hit with a box office gross of about 250m.

Connery and Lambert were both major stars, but later instalments featured more obscure casts. Asked if the new film would have recognisable names in it, Davis said: "Considering the budget will be $50m, I would say they would be recognisable names."

He did not rule out Ewan McGregor, Kevin McKidd or James McAvoy, who at 29 is just a year older than Lambert was at the time of the original.

Connery was 54 at the time. McGregor is much younger, but he has already played a similar mentor role in the Star Wars films, and the nature of the characters and their immortality makes exact ages irrelevant.

"We would hope to be shooting in March of next year," said Davis.

The character of MacLeod supposedly comes from Glenfinnan. The West Highland village was once a Mecca for Highlander fans from overseas. But Manja Gibson, manager of the Glenfinnan House Hotel, said: "We are not really getting anyone from Highlander any more. It's mostly Harry Potter now.

"Maybe if there was a new thing they would come, and if some of it would be filmed up here, sure, aye." She said the Harry Potter films, which feature the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, bring the hotel 80 to 100 visitors a year.

News of the remake is being greeted with cautious optimism by fans.

John Mosby, spokesman for the Official Highlander Fan Club, said: "At its best, Highlander is a careful cinematic balance between the action-filled sword-fighting and the more emotional ideas surrounding what immortality would actually cost you. That's why Highlander has as many female fans as it does male.

"The original film and subsequent television series did that very well. If the new film is to be a success, then it needs to remember those important factors, and also by necessity come back to Scotland, its spiritual home.

"There's something about Highlander that keeps people coming back for more. It would be nice to think a new movie, with due care and attention, could continue to do that."