Chad Stahelski's Highlander reboot could launch a franchise

Chad Stahelski's 'Highlander' reboot could mark the beginning of a franchise.

The 'John Wick' director is set to helm a remake of the classic 1986 fantasy movie – with Henry Cavill attached to star in the lead role – and suggested that it could act as a prequel with further flicks to follow.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Chad said: "I think we have some very good elements now. The trick is when you have the tagline, 'There can only be one', you can't just kill everybody the first time."

The 54-year-old filmmaker continued: "I'll say it for you first, our story engages a lot of the same characters and stuff like that, but we've also brought in elements of all the TV shows, and we're trying to do a bit of a prequel, a setup to 'The Gathering', so we have room to grow the property."

The original 'Highlander' movie starred Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown and Sir Sean Connery as immortal beings who hunt down one another to collect more power.

The film, notable for its 'There can only be one' catchphrase and Queen soundtrack, spawned four sequels and three spin-off TV series.

It has not been specified if Henry will be playing a brand new character or one from a previous project but Chad is convinced that the former 'Superman' actor has the "physicality and empathy" to lead the movie.

He said: "Henry obviously has the physicality, but that doesn't mean a whole lot if you can't carry the empathy of a character that's lived 500 years, and I needed somebody who could do both.

"The character's arc spans hundreds of years and he becomes many different personalities, all of which extend the timeline of his emotional growth.

"Then during our first meeting, my suspicions were confirmed: Henry was immediately riffing on the idea of the burden of immortality and you could see in his eyes that he can transform himself from being a young, vibrant soul to an old, wise soul. He had this combination I was fascinated by."