'28 Weeks Later' helmer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo hired to direct 'Highlander' remake

Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert, posing for the cover of a gay romance novel in the original 'Highlander'

Credit: 20th Century Fox

Christopher Lambert's star may have long since faded since he appeared in the 1986 cult classic "Highlander", but the fantasy/action film itself is enjoying something of a revival now, thanks to the announcement of an upcoming remake from Summit Entertainment.

Now it's being reported that "28 Weeks Later" director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has landed at the helm of the franchise reboot, with production expected to begin sometime next spring from a screenplay by "Iron Man" scribes Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Neal H. Moritz, Peter Davis, Enrique Lopez Lavigne and Belen Atienza will serve as producers, with "Fast Five" helmer Justin Lin (who was originally attached to direct), Rui Costa Reis, and Eliad Josephson executive-producing.

The original film and its first sequel were directed by Russell Mulcahy ("Resident Evil: Extinction"), with Lambert starring as immortal Scottish warrior Connor MacLeod in the first four installments. Though the first movie was not a box-office success initially, it later caught on both overseas and on home video, leading to the production of a total of four sequels as well as a TV spin-off.

Summit acquired the remake rights in 2008.

The plot of the original follows MacLeod as he battles through the centuries with a group of other immortals, all culminating in an epic battle in modern-day New York City known as "The Gathering". Sean Connery co-starred as Ramirez, MacLeod's mentor in the ways of immortality.

Fresnadillo's next film is the horror/thriller "Intruders" starring Clive Owen, which is slated to premiere later this week at the Toronto Film Festival before debuting in U.S. theaters on October 7th. Make sure to check back for Drew's review of the film.

Chris Eggertsen
Producer

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A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.