Highlander: Reboot / Remake

[XadionDarkborn]

Forgive if its been posted and delete if so!

Posted on Highlander-community.com:

Here's the Hollywood Reporter article:


Quote:
Summit takes on 'Highlander' redo

'Iron Man' writers on board for script

By Borys Kit
May 20, 2008, 02:39 PM

Who says there can be only one?

Summit Entertainment is bringing back to the big screen the 1986 sci-fi cult hit "Highlander," with "Iron Man" co-writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway on board to pen the reimagining.

The original "Highlander" starred Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown as immortal beings battling among humans, hunting down one another and collecting more power. Lambert played Scottish swordsman Connor MacLeod, Connery an Egyptian and Clancy a barbarian known as the Kurgan. "There can be only one" was a line repeated throughout the film. The movie spawned four sequels and three television series.

Summit acquired the rights to remake the cult classic from Davis/Panzer Prods. Peter Davis, one of the original producers of the 1986 film, also will produce the new film.

By acquiring the rights to the property, Summit gains a recognizable brand and a franchise with worldwide popularity amonng both the young and old.

Summit's president of production Erik Feig, along with the company's senior vp production Geoff Shaevitz and creative executive Gillian Bohrer, will oversee the project for the studio.

Marcum and Holloway, repped by ICM, also penned a remake of Sam Peckinpah's "Convoy," set up at Paramount.

And Variety:


Quote:
Summit sets 'Highlander' remake

Film unit aims to restart franchise

By DAVE MCNARY

Summit Entertainment will produce a remake fantasy thriller "Highlander" with the aim of kick-starting the franchise again.Summit's signed the "Iron Man" scripting team of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway to script with plans to expand on the original pic's premise of immortals battling each other for a mysterious prize.

Summit acquired the remake rights from Davis/Panzer Prods. It's tapped Peter Davis, one of the original producers of the 1986 film, to produce the new version.

The 1986 original was directed by Russell Mulcahy and starred Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown and Roxanne Hart. It launched four sequels and three TV spinoffs.

Patrick Wachsberger, Summit's co-chairman and president, said, "I have always dreamed of reinventing this franchise; as a brand it is hard to think of one which has greater worldwide recognition with audiences - young and old."

Marcum and Holloway also wrote "Convoy." They're repped by ICM.

Summit has been ramping up operations for the past year from a sales operation into a full-fledged studio with development, financing, production and distribution. It's focused on projects budgeted in the middle range and plans to release 10 to 12 films annually.

and more here: http://chud.com/articles/articles/14...ING/Page1.html

Writers from IornMan... so this could be good- this could be bad...but whatever comes out of it I am sure it will be better than The Source- however the Highlander game looks good and Highlander Search for Vengance (anime) was great...so this could be something good...or more /rape of yesteryears cult classic

[Runnen]

The original Highlander was a very good movie, followed by atrocious sequels. However, I'm not certain this remake is a good idea. Sure, modern cinematography techniques and CGI could make it -even- better, but frankly, I'm not sure the kind of story conveyed by Highlander can really benefit all that much from CGI (beside the Quickening). Some things are better left untouched.

[Faille]

The sequels suffered from painting themselves into a corner in the first movie. Doing a reboot with a franchise in mind should improve that a little more. I found the tv series to be quite good in parts from a story point of view, though was very cheesy due to its incredibly low budget.

very low.

[spronk]

I've seen more well thought out moments on yahoo live! than the last highlander movie, god, that was such a bad movie...

I also suggest picking a hero who speaks clear english and doesn't mumble, lol. Be interesting to see if they go for the original 2-are-left-1-must-die ending, or if they try and set up the movie to crank out sequels and a TV show.

[Araxen]

The first Highlander movie is one of the best movies ever created and I've avoided the sequels per my rl friend saying how they are nothing but pure trash.

The TV series was excellent too.

[Rezz]

Yeah, their explanation for the universal "omg I feel other immortals!" and somehow Conner got the Prize deal without killing the mongolians that showed up for the 3rd film is... well... terrible. 2nd film was an abomination, nothing is worse than that trash, not even Endgame. Even though the cheesy "this cut has to be completed" crap was pretty horrible as well.

I'd imagine they'd go for a more sensible solution to "there can be only one." because without that line, you don't really have the highlander concept. Probably spin it so that a limited amount of immortals are called together, not all of them, and there can be only one left of that group. Who knows, regardless of cinematography improvements, the storyline could use the jump start. Was one of my favorite movies (the original) and the series with Adrian Paul was f'n amazing. Would like to see something from that mythos back in the media.

[TheCutlery]

Originally Posted by Rezz

I'd imagine they'd go for a more sensible solution to "there can be only one." because without that line, you don't really have the highlander concept. Probably spin it so that a limited amount of immortals are called together, not all of them, and there can be only one left of that group. Who knows, regardless of cinematography improvements, the storyline could use the jump start. Was one of my favorite movies (the original) and the series with Adrian Paul was f'n amazing. Would like to see something from that mythos back in the media.

Yeah, they tried that, it failed in the Source. There can be only one to have a baby? What the motherfuck? That movie would make Santa Claus vomit in rage.

I love highlander, I really do. I own the entire TV series because Adrian Paul was a badass. But therein lies the problem about doing anything with a franchise based around people who never age. Adrian Paul of 1992 rocked. Adrian Paul of 2007---not so much.

If they wanna do it, they better have a plan to do it right, get it done quickly, and sit back and let the cult classic profits roll in. Waiting 15 years to make another movie when Adrian Paul is pushing 50 is not a good idea.

[XadionDarkborn]

The series was the only good followup from the first movie -

highlander 2 in any of its forms is poop- no way around it - atleast highlander 3 was admitant and not dismissed the 1st- as with the other immortals being frozen they where effectivly taken out of the game, connor won- but lost it when they returned- I dont subscribe to the following that mario van peebles used his "magic" to trick lambert into thinking he won the prize in 1..thats dumb and unfounded from what shoddy info we have.

The series movies - endgame was okay, and the source was shit, but fun if you just watch it as "something to watch"...

This reboot could really turn it around for highlander :-) the anime was great, and if the reboot follows that path of goodness it could be a great movie.

There is speculation as to the interviews...they seem to be wanting to make it a franchise, movie + tv or movie w/ more - BUT it seems the rights where only sold for 1 movie...the dude who onws the IP of highlander is a douche and has been killing it sence...well HL 1- i am GLAD that someone finally got the balls to get some $$ and buy it out for alteast 1 go

Edit: The Source...really I liked the concept..and the 5% of the movie that was good was GOOD, dock fight, first guardian fight with Zai and the guardian pwning security guard. Haveing a baby thing was eh, it was hinted at throughout the series tho- not much but eh- imo the srouce does not = the prize

[column]

They had it right the first time with there tag Line "in the end, there can be only one"..Only the first movie was decent,the rest has been trash.

[Rezz]

Wait what there was another movie after Endgame? How the shit?

What was it, a made for TV Sci-Fi abomination?

[McCheese]

I always loved the overall Highlander concept, but the movies (including the original) left me disappointed.

I'm very eager to see if they can do better this time around.

[XadionDarkborn]

Originally Posted by Rezz

Wait what there was another movie after Endgame? How the shit?

What was it, a made for TV Sci-Fi abomination?

it was not MADE for TV - it was lionsgate decided to cut its losses and sell to scifi for TV :-P it was released in russia etc on dvd before USA and to date has about 4 differing cuts- there is a fanedit that takes all the bits from the 4 and makes something alot better than the offical ones :-)

[Mahes]

The writing for this along with the dialogue are going to have to be gold.

The special effects while good were good because they did not detract from the story. This is one of the few movies where I honestly think CGI could hurt it.

The other part of the first movie that made the movie was the soundtrack. Attempting to top Queen should be interesting at least.

The only thing I did not like about the original movie, was the prize. Giving up immortality for the ability to read minds. I know there was this whole good verse evil part of the story, and that since he won he could help to unify the world in peace; It just seems odd to give up one very powerful ability for an ability with a time limit. I always would think, "ok, he unifies the world and thier differences, then he dies, now what?"

[The Ancient]

Originally Posted by XadionDarkborn

there is a fanedit that takes all the bits from the 4 and makes something alot better than the offical ones :-)

The title and the credits?

[TheCutlery]

Originally Posted by Rezz

Wait what there was another movie after Endgame? How the shit?

What was it, a made for TV Sci-Fi abomination?

Heh, it wasn't made for it, but it ended up that way. What's funny is the press conference where Adrian Paul says that it's going to be the best highlander film to date. Pretty much everyone else universally agrees that the movie is a steaming pile of shit.

You can redbox it, Highlander : The Source, but honestly, if you really want to save some time, just fast forward to the end. The movie was so fucking terrible that at the end, they recap the entire fucking movie in about 4 minutes with a stupid montage OF THE MOVIE YOU JUST WATCHED. It would be a lot better movie if it was 5 minutes long instead of making you endure that steaming pile of shit for 90 minutes. And this is coming from someone who LIKES Highlander.