Michael Caine, 92, is reported to be coming out of retirement to reprise his role as a priest in the sequel to Vin Diesel’s 2015 fantasy action film The Last Witch Hunter, according to Variety.
The studio behind the project, Lionsgate, and Diesel’s production banner One Race Films are said to be fast-tracking the follow-up, with Diesel confirmed to return as lead character Kaulder. The casting of Caine as Dolan, the priest who assists Kaulder in the original film, has not been finalised, Variety reported.
Caine, who announced his retirement from acting in 2023, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme at the time that he had decided to step back because “you don’t have leading men at 90.” He added then that he had reached a point in his career where it was difficult to find roles that would top his best work. The actor has appeared in more than 180 films across seven decades.
Reports of Caine’s return follow sightings of the actor in London in July, when he was photographed having lunch with Diesel. The meeting was filmed and a camera was visible on a tripod nearby, and Diesel later referenced the meetings in an Instagram post on June 30 praising their long-standing friendship and describing the time spent together as “healing and loving.” The lunch was said to have been captured as part of an upcoming documentary.
The Last Witch Hunter (2015) starred Diesel as Kaulder, an immortal witch hunter, with Caine appearing as Dolan, a priest who aids Kaulder in his fight against a witch queen responsible for a plague. The original film drew mixed reviews but developed a following that has supported talk of a sequel in recent years.
Caine’s career began on stage in 1953 and in films in 1956 with a string of small and uncredited parts before achieving prominence in the 1960s with roles in Zulu (1964), The Ipcress File (1965), Alfie (1966) and The Italian Job (1969). He has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and The Cider House Rules (1999).
Daily Mail reported that it had contacted Caine’s representatives for comment. Neither Lionsgate nor One Race Films has released an official schedule or further casting details, and a release date for the sequel was not announced. Variety said the project is in early development and is being prioritised by the studio and Diesel’s production company.
If Caine’s participation is confirmed, it would mark a notable return to screen work after his 2023 retirement announcement. Further details, including a production timeline, additional cast and creative team, are expected to emerge if the sequel moves beyond its current development stage.