‘Highlander’ First Footage Unveils Henry Cavill’s ‘John Wick’-Esque Action, Rave Fight Scene and Immortal Killers

Henry Cavill‘s “Highlander” reboot got a first look during Amazon MGM’s presentation at CinemaCon, the annual convention for movie theaters owners that’s underway in Las Vegas.

Filming is still underway, but CinemaCon attendees saw behind-the-scenes footage and some seriously brutal action sequences that echoed director Chad Stahelski’s “John Wick” movies. There’s a neon-drenched fight at a crowded rave, plus plenty of sword fights and motorcycle chases. Cavill’s immortal character is revealed to have been born in 1518 and is forced to fight fellow undying killers at The Gathering, where only one survivor can be left alive. Filming will continue in Poland, the Scottish highlands and Hong Kong.

Cavill takes on the Highlander mantle in the upcoming reboot from Christopher Lambert, who starred in the original 1986 action movie. After playing Superman in the DC Universe and monster hunter Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s “The Witcher” series, Cavill is going back in time for another action franchise. He’ll be directed by Stahelski, the former stuntman turned filmmaker who’s helmed all four “John Wick” movies.

Cavill stars as the 16th century Scottish swordsman Connor MacLeod, who learns he’s immortal and destined to fight fellow warriors across generations to claim a mysterious prize. Lambert originated the role in the 1986 movie, which also starred Sean Connery, Clancy Brown and Roxanne Hart. In the reboot, Russell Crowe plays Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, the warrior first played by Connery, and Dave Bautista is The Kurgan, Brown’s brutal barbarian from the first movie. Fellow cast members include Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Dave Bautista, Marisa Abela, Jeremy Irons and Max Zhang. Michael Finch wrote the script, and Ryan J. Condal and Kerry Williamson worked on earlier drafts of the film.

After the first movie, the “Highlander” franchise continued with several sequels, which received mostly negative reviews, an animated TV series and spinoff novels. Cavill’s reboot will be the first “Highlander” movie on the big screen since 2000’s “Highlander: Endgame.”