Ryan Reynolds Could Be The New Highlander
There can be only one, or at least, you know, one more. Summit is working to reboot Highlander, and their choice to play the immortal Scotsman is Ryan Reynolds. I guess I shouldn’t assume the hero will be Scottish just because he was in all the movies, the ensuing TV series, the short-lived animated show, and the string of novels. The hero of Highlander: The Raven wasn’t Scottish, after all, and there are immortals from all over the world. But it is called Highlander, so you can’t blame a guy for jumping to conclusions and expecting a few guys wearing kilts.
At this juncture it is unclear if an actual offer has made to Reynolds, but both sides are reportedly interested in working with one another. That’s the first step right there. There is still the possibility that Reynolds could go in another direction and work on something different, as he has other options at hand.
After taking a critical drubbing for Green Lantern (I’m still convinced I’m the only human being alive who didn’t hate it), the 35-year-old Canadian is coming off of a $100 million plus movie in Safe House. Reynolds has long been involved in a pair of comic book properties. There’s the supernatural horror/detective story R.I.P.D about an undead police force, and then there’s the X-Men/Wolverine spin-off Deadpool.
It would be curious to see Reynolds as a world-weary immortal. He’s a bit boy-faced for that line. I have an affinity for him that I can’t quite trace, and he’s always personable and engaging in his movies, but I have a hard time accepting him in serious roles. Buried was solid, but I still expected him make smart ass remarks at every turn.
Reynolds is at his best when he’s cracking wise and keeping things light, and I hope they don’t go that way with the Highlander remake. Most of the immortals have been alive for generations, lived through multiple wars, seen the rise and fall of empires, and watched everyone they’ve ever loved wither and die. Basically they’ve lived through hell. That wears on a soul. I have no doubt he could hack it from an action standpoint. There’s some decent swordplay in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but he’s too pretty and needs to put a few more miles on his face before playing a character that’s lived many lives and cuts the head off of other people like him.
Whether or not Reynolds is the next Highlander, all they need to do is bring Clancy Brown back as The Kurgan and everything will be all right.
