Justin Lin No Longer Directing Highlander Reboot

Story by Nick Newman on

http://thefilmstage.com/news/justin-lin-no-longer-directing-highlander-reboot/



When Justin Lin recently talked about all the franchises he’s been approached for in the past few months — and how he had to turn many of them down — one I assumed he was committed to was Highlander, mainly because he’s been attached since September of 2009. It now seems that the next few years — which have been made busy by The Fast and the Furious Six (Fast Six?) and Terminator 5 — are keeping the director from resurrecting Christopher Lambert‘s career highlight, because THR is saying that he’s left the project.



His busy schedule accounts for the exit, because Summit wasn’t willing to wait a long time for Lin. The next Fast and Furious is scheduled for May 24th, 2013, and it seems entirely possible that he’s making Terminator 5 after that. So, basically, the earliest they could get the movie is… 2016? When you consider it in the context of how long the universe has been around, that’s not even a hill of beans; but when it’s for a franchise that was a kitsch item upon its release — and isn’t aging all that well — you need to get it out there as soon as you can. Twilight is ending in 2012, and Summit needs a new franchise. Why they think Highlander is said franchise is another discussion for another day.



The studio is currently looking for another director, and the script by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (that had rewrites by Twilight‘s Melissa Rosenberg) will most likely be used. Produced by Neil H. Moritz and Peter Davis, the reboot would probably take things into a modern setting; if it can somehow retain the 80′s gloss, I might have some interest in what’s being done. Otherwise, I don’t really need to see another Highlander movie, and I think that Lin probably made the right choice here.