If you’re excited about the work of former stuntman and filmmaker Chad Stahelski, there’s good news. After Stahelski proved with his ‘John Wick’ films that he can achieve not only audience but also critical success with great action, the Lionsgate studio is now entrusting him with a bigger task.
In the future, Chad Stahelski will take over the entire ‘John Wick’ franchise, in cinemas, series and all other media. This means that as director he will have much greater decision-making power than before: he will determine which ‘John Wick’ projects are made, what creative direction and franchise strategy is followed, and ensuring that “quality, tone and vision remain consistent”How quoted from the official report.
Chad Stahelski really sets the tone for “John Wick”.
Chad Stahelski was only involved as an executive producer on the “John Wick” spin-off series “The Continental” and the theatrical spin-off “Ballerina” (directed by Len Wiseman and released in theaters on June 6, 2024). It is unclear to what extent he was involved in the creative processes at all. In the future, there will be no escaping Stahelski’s involvement with ‘John Wick’ – and the action expert has a second hot iron in the fire: the reboot of the ‘Highlander’ franchise.
Specifically, there is currently only one new “Highlander” film in the works. But it’s not surprising that Lionsgate is already toying with an entire franchise – and that’s the case now Chad Stahelski was given creative control over the entire new ‘Highlander’ venture, including all possible films, series and other productions.
The ‘Highlander’ saga is now also in the hands of Stahelski
The upcoming ‘Highlander’ film will star ‘The Witcher’ star Henry Cavill and will likely begin filming in 2024. Chad Stahelski has confirmed that Highlander will be his next directorial role. Depending on how early in the year production begins, the ‘Highlander’ remake could hit theaters as early as late 2025. If the fantasy actioner is a success, more main series films and spin-offs with and without Henry Cavill are likely to follow – creatively directed by Chad Stahelski.
The filmmaker has already revealed his vision for the “Highlander” reboot: it will be “like ‘John Wick’ with swords.” He has a significant budget of over 100 million dollars for the first film. Details about the content of the new ‘Highlander’ are not yet known, but it will not just be a remake of the popular 1986 fantasy classic starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery.
Instead, Stahelski is planning a reboot of the franchise, using elements from all previous ‘Highlander’ formats. This includes not only the films, but also the live-action ‘Highlander’ series, the ‘Highlander’ animated series and the spin-off ‘Raven: The Immortal’.