A Highlander remake has been in production for so long now that it is becoming increasingly likely that only true immortals will be still alive to see it come to life. If John Wick's Chad Stahelski gets his way though, Highlander will reach our screens much sooner. The action director is already lined up to helm the long-gestating project and is certainly passionate about getting it done as soon as he can.

"Highlander is very, very near and dear to what I want to do next."

Chad Stahelski even teased his intention for the remake, whilst also dismissing joining either the Marvel or DC cinematic universes.

"I'm really curious about what I can do with Highlander and how I reinvent the hero worship stuff. Those fascinate me a lot. I just like more of the original properties that you can grow from as opposed to step into a number five or a number six. That's all. Just choice."

The first Highlander did spawn several sequels, as well as a few small screen series', but Stahelski clearly wants to start from the beginning and control the direction of the story rather than join an already well-established franchise with its own continuity. Stahelski sounds determined to get the project off the ground, no matter how long it takes. Having been on board the Highlander remake since late 2016, most directors would no doubt have walked away after so long, but Stahelski has remained committed to seeing the movie come to fruition.

This is not the first time that Stahelski has discussed his progress on the Highlander reboot, with the director offering a promising update back in June. "We're in heavy development mode on Highlander," he said when asked if the current global situation had slowed things down. "Tweaking the scripts, writing, conceptualizing sequences, how we're going to do everything. We probably have a lot more in-person kind of things, but it hasn't slowed down our development process at all."

Released in 1986, the first Highlander follows the swordsman Connor MacLeod. Hailing from the Scottish Highlands, and known as the Highlander, MacLeod discovers that he is one of a number of immortal warriors who can be killed only by beheading. After initial training by another highly skilled immortal swordsman, Ramírez, MacLeod lives on for several centuries, eventually settling in New York City, managing an antique shop. Living somewhat peacefully, MacLeod must return to the battlefield to take on his greatest enemy the Kurgan, who wishes to kill MacLeod and to obtain "the Prize" - a special ability which is given to the last living immortal warrior: vast knowledge and the ability to enslave the entire human race.

Directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen, Highlander stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. Highlander enjoyed little success on its initial theatrical release, grossing just over $12 million worldwide against a production budget of $19 million, as well as receiving mixed reviews. Over the years though, the movie has become something of a treasured 80s flick and cult-favorite, but the material is clearly ripe for a modern remake. Here's hoping that Stahelski can finally get things moving. This comes to us courtesy of Comicbook.com.