‘Highlander’: ‘Industry’ Breakout Marisa Abela Joins Henry Cavill in Amazon MGM’s Remake

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Marisa Abela, one of the stars of acclaimed British drama Industry, has joined Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe in Highlander, Amazon MGM’s remake of the 1980s cult classic.

Chad Stahelski is on board to direct the feature, which hails from Amazon MGM’s United Artists banner and is slated to get a theatrical release.

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The originalHighlander, released in 1986, starred Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, a Medieval Scottish Highlander who discovers he is an immortal warrior. With the help of a swordsman named Ramirez, played by Sean Connery, the titular Highlander battles other immortals across the centuries, culminating in a modern battle in which, like the classic line of dialogue goes, “there can be only one.” The movie went back and forth from various time periods.

In the remake, Cavill is playing MacLeod while Crowe is Ramirez.

The new script, being written by Michael Finch, is taking some diversions from the original as it builds out a more complex and deeper world. According to sources, the feature seems to be populated by more immortals who also happen to be from various parts of the world.

In what is being described as a leading role, Abela will play one of the new characters, an immortal who is a teacher of swordplay and one of MacLeod’s past loves.

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UA’s Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt are producing alongside Neal H. Moritz, Stahelski’s 87Eleven Entertainment, Josh Davis of Davis Panzer Productions, and Louise Rosner.

UA has secured full rights to the 1986 original, with potential to also develop a new series. Lionsgate spent years developing the project before relinquishing it to UA.

Production is due to begin in September, with shooting to take place in Scotland, England, and locales such as Hong Kong.

Abela recently won a BAFTA TV award for her performance in the third season of Industry, the British banking drama that has gained notices on both sides of the pond. She also stole scenes from under Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett in Black Bag, Steven Soderbergh’s spy thriller that was released earlier this year to rave reviews.

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Abela is repped by WME, The Artists Partnership and Sloane Offer.

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