Henry Cavill will star in the Highlander reboot movie currently in development, and though his status as a fan should be a good thing, comments from his The Witcher days could be cause for concern. The actor has developed a reputation for being just as much a nerd as those watching his shows and movies, making him highly loveable among various nerddoms. It’s a comfort to know that a star like Cavill has the integrity of a project in mind, especially when it comes to adapting existing IP. However, this could be a problem for Highlander.

From Superman, The Witcher, and now Highlander, Cavill has taken part in several screen adaptations or remakes of existing IP. He frequently talks about what a personal fan he is of these characters, making watching Cavill portray them on screen even more enjoyable. The actor feels like a member of the club—another nerd basking in these beloved stories. In all, this means a better audience experience, but it seems there could be some downsides to Cavill being a fan of a project’s source material. If history repeats itself, the new Highlander franchise could be in danger.

RelatedThe Highlander reboot has been in development for over a decade but may finally be moving forward with director Chad Stahelski and star Henry Cavill.

The new Highlander movie is still in the early stages of production, but Cavill has already had a lot of positive things to say about the project. He noted (via Screen Rant) that he “was a Highlander fan,” having watched the movies and series when he was younger, and he “really enjoyed the lore behind it.“ Typically, this would be comforting to hear since fans want to think that a beloved franchise is in good hands. However, Cavill’s comments about The Witcher back in 2019 make the actor’s fan status a little more concerning.

Leading up to the release of Netflix’s The Witcher season 1, Cavill was highly public about the fact that he was a massive fan of the video games and books on which the series was based. He said in an interview (via GQ) that he wanted The Witcher to be as “true to the lore as possible“ and that, to him, his role was about bringing his “love for the character to the show.“ Cavill added that as a fan, he “wanted to protect it.” This was a massive comfort to existing The Witcher fans. Unfortunately, the series struggled with performance after the first season, and Cavill left the role after season 3.

Why Henry Cavill Left The Witcher Franchise (& Will History Repeat Itself)

Cavill has never provided a definitive answer for his The Witcher departure. Still, his comments leading up to the series’ premier have inspired the theory that he wasn’t happy with Netflix’s changes to the source material. Cavill was clear that it was important to him, as a fan, that The Witcher be faithful to the lore, and that didn’t happen. The actor wasn’t the only one disappointed in these changes, with The Witcher season 2 changing canon around every corner. So, it seems like no coincidence that it was after this installment that Cavill announced he was leaving.

Those who are just as much a fan of the Witcher video games and books couldn’t blame Cavill for leaving. It would have been difficult to be at the forefront of a series that was damaging such a beloved IP. Still, it’s likely that Cavill’s departure was the nail in the coffin for The Witcher since recasting the lead role is difficult to come back from. Ultimately, hoping to “protect” the source material as an actor probably wasn’t realistic. Without the creative freedom of a showrunner, being a fan of The Witcher meant Cavill was just more likely to be frustrated with the job.

Now, going into Highlander, the fact that Cavill is again a fan of the source and is passionate about the lore could be a sign of history repeating itself. If the new movie fails to live up to the original Highlander movies or TV series, Cavill may again ditch the project, leaving it to either die (without any further sequels) or struggle through recasting. After the experience with The Witcher, it may be that being a fan isn’t such a positive after all.

Why Henry Cavill’s Role In Highlander Might Be Different

If Cavill is approaching his work in Highlander as a way of protecting the source, then it’s likely that he will again be unhappy with the role. However, if the actor instead sees this as an opportunity to bring a character he cares about to the screen in a unique way—perhaps even one that doesn’t align with his idea of the character—then it’s more likely that this project will have a different ending than The Witcher. Thankfully, further comments about Highlander indicate that, despite being a fan, Cavill is approaching the role with the right mindset:

Big swings are important. You play it safe and you go ‘eh, I guess it was fine.’ But you take a big swing, and people love it. Or they hate it, and sometimes hating it is just as good.

Netflix certainly took big swings with The Witcher, resulting in low reviews and high criticism. Ultimately, the same thing is entirely possible for Highlander, but Cavill’s understanding of this risk indicates that it will still be worth it. What’s more, Highlander being a movie rather than a TV series means that if it doesn’t perform well or if Cavill chooses to step away from the role after only one installment, it won’t put the breaks on an entire series. So, even if Cavill’s The Witcher history does repeat itself with Highlander, there’s a little less to lose.

Highlander is a reboot of the 1986 movie that starred Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. The reboot is directed by Chad Stahelski and stars Henry Cavill as Connor MacLeod.