Karen Gillan has just wrapped work on the newest entry in the Jumanji franchise, but there’s no rest for the wicked, and the actress is already jumping into her next project. She’s set to play the wife of Henry Cavill’s immortal hero in the remake of Highlander, and it appears that this morning she sat down over breakfast to go over the script.
Gillan posted an image on Instagram in which the two major stars were a bag of Scottish oats and a very nice, leather-bound copy of what is surely the Highlander script. It’s unclear from the image if she is actually on set right now, but she is surely headed in that direction.
Karen Gillan has been very excited to appear in the new Highlander movie, directed by John Wick’s Chad Stahelski. She is actually from the highlands of Scotland, making her the absolute right woman for the job.
We’ve already seen images of Henry Cavill in a modern-day setting as lead character Conor Macloud. Like the original Highlander, we know the new movie will take place both in the modern day and in the past. It appears the production is getting ready to film the sequences set in 1400s Scotland, where Gillan’s character will be prominent.
The original Highlander sees Conor MacLeod marry a girl named Heather after he is exiled from his clan for witchcraft following the discovery of his immortality. Heather is ultimately killed by the Kurgan, the movie’s villain, who will be played by Dave Bautista in the remake.
It’s unclear what deviations from the original the new Highlander may make. One that appears likely is an expanded role for Heather. She wasn’t a major character in the original film, only appearing in a couple of scenes. The flashbacks time-jumped over their meeting and falling in love. Heather mostly existed to be killed off.
It seems unlikely that anybody would hire Karen Gillan to play a role as small as the one in the original movie, which indicates the part will be a bit more substantial this time around. That could simply mean more screen time for Heather, or it could mean a more significant performance from her in the few scenes she has. It could also be some combination of the two.
Whatever the plan, as a serious fan of Highlander who always felt the franchise never really lived up to its potential, I can’t wait to see what happens with it. It seems clear that the plan, assuming the movie is successful, is a larger Highlander franchise. And if things change enough for Karen Gillan’s character, the possibility of seeing more of her isn’t out of the question.
