Russell Mulcahy’s “Highlander” bombed at the box office, confused critics and left audiences scratching their heads. Now, 40 years later, it stands as one of the most beloved cult films of the 1980s, and a massive Henry Cavill reboot is already filming in Scotland. Here is why this beautiful disaster still matters.
A Box Office Flop That Found Immortality
When “Highlander” opened in U.S. theaters on March 7, 1986, nobody saw an empire coming. 14The film was a commercial failure on its initial theatrical release, grossing only a little less than $13 million worldwide against a production budget of $19 million. 11It was beaten in its opening weekend by “Pretty in Pink.”
14 On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 24 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating “generally unfavorable” reviews. One critic at the time called it entertaining but a total mess. The audience that did show up didn’t always know what they were watching.
But something changed when it hit VHS and cable television. 11When “Highlander” was released on VHS, it reached an audience that was charmed by what were initially dismissed as faults. In their eyes, Lambert’s performance wasn’t wooden, but reflective of a confused man out of time.
11 Thanks to its seemingly permanent residency on HBO, “Highlander” finally found an audience willing to meet it on its own terms. By the early 1990s, the film had built a passionate fan base that would keep growing for decades.
Highlander 1986 40th anniversary cult classic sword fantasy film
Key numbers at a glance:
Detail Figure Theatrical Release March 7, 1986 Production Budget $19 million Worldwide Gross ~$12.9 million Metacritic Score (Original) 24/100 Franchise Sequels 5 films TV Series Run 6 seasons (1992 to 1998)
Sean Connery, Christopher Lambert and a Cast of Misfits
The casting of “Highlander” is one of cinema’s great accidents. 11Kurt Russell was the original choice to play Connor MacLeod, but his last-minute exit forced Fox to hire Christopher Lambert, who at the time couldn’t speak English. The studio had also considered Michael Douglas, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson before Lambert won the part.
13 Lambert speaks in one of the weirdest accents in cult cinema history, an odd mixture of his native French, the American English he was learning during the making of this movie and the Scottish lilt his character should have. It shouldn’t work. Somehow it does.
Then there is Sean Connery. The most famous Scotsman in Hollywood plays an “Egyptian Spaniard” named Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez. 12Connery’s charisma and presence gave the character a larger-than-life quality. He is in the film for a limited stretch, but he owns every second of screen time. His star power papers over every logical gap in the script.
Clancy Brown’s Kurgan is the wild card. 12Brown delivered one of the most memorable performances in the film as the Kurgan, a savage immortal villain who thrives on chaos and violence. His performance remains one of the most recognizable antagonists in cult fantasy cinema.
Queen’s Soundtrack Changed Everything
You cannot separate “Highlander” from Queen. The band’s involvement was a happy accident of ambition and timing. 32According to director Mulcahy, “we gave them a 20-minute reel of different scenes and they went: ‘Wow!’ We’d only expected them to do one song, but they wanted to write one each. Freddie Mercury did Princes of the Universe, Brian May did Who Wants to Live Forever, Roger Taylor did It’s a Kind of Magic.”
11 The involvement of Queen certainly didn’t hurt, as the band was more popular than ever thanks to their appearance at the Live Aid concert a year earlier. 16 Brian May wrote “Who Wants to Live Forever” on the cab ride home after his first screening. That song, played over the scene where Connor watches his mortal wife age and die while he stays unchanged, became the emotional heart of the entire film. 14 Queen recorded several songs for the film’s soundtrack, and those songs also appeared on their 1986 studio album, “A Kind of Magic.” The album was a massive commercial hit. 31 It was an immediate hit in the UK, going straight to number one and selling 100,000 copies in its first week. It remained in the UK charts for 63 weeks, selling 600,000 in the UK alone.
Michael Kamen’s orchestral score blended with Queen’s rock anthems to create something unlike anything audiences had heard in a fantasy film before. That combination of soaring guitars and sweeping strings gave “Highlander” a soul it desperately needed.
A 40th Anniversary and a New Graphic Novel
21 On March 7, 2026, “Highlander” celebrates its 40th anniversary. The timing could not be better. The franchise is buzzing with new life on multiple fronts. 24 Titan Comics set a November 17, 2026 bookstore release for “Highlander: The Original Screenplay,” underscoring the franchise’s 40th anniversary year. 24 Based on Gregory Widen’s original script and illustrated by Spawn artist Szymon Kudranski, the graphic novel presents a darker vision than the 1986 film. Editor Jonathan Wilkins said it was a thrill to present the story as Widen originally envisioned it, with changes that include a more anti-heroic Connor MacLeod and a clearer dark-mirror role for the Kurgan.
This is the first time fans will see the story as Widen first imagined it as a film student at UCLA. 19Widen was a screenwriting student when, for a class assignment, he wrote a script inspired by sword dueling. His lecturer suggested he should try to sell it, and it eventually went for $200,000. Originally titled “The Dark Knight,” the story went on to become “Highlander.”
For die-hard fans, the graphic novel promises unseen storyline elements that never made it to the screen. That alone makes it one of the most anticipated releases of the anniversary year.
Henry Cavill’s Reboot Is Already Filming
The biggest sign that “Highlander” refuses to die is the massive reboot now in production. 1Principal photography began on January 28, 2026, in Scotland, having been pushed back by several months due to Cavill sustaining an injury during pre-production rehearsals.
1 The film is directed by Chad Stahelski, written by Kerry Williamson and Mike Finch, and starring Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Jeremy Irons, Max Zhang, and Drew McIntyre. It is a reboot of the film franchise of the same name. The film will be released by Amazon MGM Studios under the United Artists banner.
Here is who is playing who in the reboot:
| Original Cast | Character | Reboot Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Lambert | Connor MacLeod | Henry Cavill |
| Sean Connery | Ramirez | Russell Crowe |
| Clancy Brown | The Kurgan | Dave Bautista |
| Roxanne Hart | Brenda Wyatt | TBD |
12 Karen Gillan has been cast as Heather MacLeod. Scottish-born WWE star Drew McIntyre has also joined the film as Angus McLeod. 5 Since filming is beginning in early 2026, “Highlander” will probably come to theaters in 2027 or 2028. 33 Queen wrote and recorded songs for the original “Highlander.” Stahelski has confirmed the reboot will use Queen’s songs, a decision that sent fans into celebration when the news first broke.
Forty years ago, “Highlander” was dismissed as a loud, confusing mess with an impossible plot and miscast leads. Today, it is a cultural touchstone. 14The tagline, “There can be only one,” has carried on into pop culture. Queen’s music still gives listeners chills. And the story of a lonely immortal wandering through centuries, watching everyone he loves grow old and die, still hits you right in the chest. 22Four decades later, it still asks the same haunting question that Freddie Mercury once sang: Who wants to live forever? And perhaps the answer lies not in immortality, but in memory. Drop your favorite “Highlander” moment in the comments below and tell us if you think the Cavill reboot can live up to the original.
