Henry Cavill has been injured while preparing for the long-anticipated Highlander remake, and production on the film is expected to be pushed into 2026, Deadline reported Friday.
The 42-year-old actor sustained an unspecified injury during training in the preproduction period, according to the report. Deadline said the setback will likely delay principal photography until early 2026 rather than later this year. Representatives for Cavill and for Amazon MGM Studios did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The new Highlander is set to be directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Michael Finch. The cast announced for the United Artists–backed production includes Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou and Max Zhang alongside Cavill. The project had been in development at Lionsgate for years before the rights moved to Amazon MGM Studios earlier this year.
The original 1986 Highlander starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod and Sean Connery as his mentor, Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez. That film spawned sequels and a television series that ran for six seasons in the 1990s, and the property has since been discussed as a potential franchise that could support additional films or television projects.
Stahelski, who has directed the John Wick films, has spoken about treating Highlander as a "massive property" that requires a careful approach and could sustain a broader universe. Cavill was announced as the lead in May 2021 and discussed the film at CinemaCon in 2024, saying he was a fan of the original and teasing more extensive sword work than audiences had seen from him previously.
A logline circulated by outlets describes the story as following an immortal Scottish swordsman who faces other immortal warriors to obtain a coveted ability. The remake had been advancing through preproduction after Amazon MGM’s United Artists banner acquired the rights and explored the option of expanding the property into additional projects.
The injury compounds scheduling questions for Cavill, who has several high-profile projects in various stages of production, and comes after a year in which the actor marked several personal milestones. The Daily Mail reported that Cavill welcomed his first child earlier this year and remains attached to other films in development.
No new production start date has been announced. Studio and production officials have not released a public timeline, and Deadline reported that insiders expect filming to resume in early 2026 pending Cavill’s recovery and scheduling. The studio’s acquisition and Stahelski’s involvement had signaled a renewed push for the remake, but the reported setback is likely to shift planning and casting logistics for the UA production.
Highlander remains a culturally significant property for genre and action audiences, and the reported delay underscores the physical demands placed on actors preparing for intensive stunt- and fight-heavy roles. Insiders and trade outlets will likely monitor updates from the studio and Cavill’s camp for timing on a resumed production schedule and any adjustments to the film’s broader development plans.