Dave Batista To Play Kurgan In Highlander Film Reboot

He's the big bad of the movie.

By Brendon Connelly /

I met Dave Bautista on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy and again during that film's promotional circus. He was a thoughtful, interesting man, and a pleasure to talk to. Better still - at least as far as his career goes - he's been turning in a string of spot-on performances. And coming soon, if Latino Review are to be believed, he'll be readying another. According to their report, Bautista is joining the remake of Highlander, taking over the role of Vincent Kruger, aka The Kurgan. He's the big bad - in Bautista's case, very big bad. The other two lead roles are still to be cast, with no sign of a Connor McLeod in sight since Ryan Reynolds stepped away and the last I heard, Tom Cruise on the shopping list for Ramirez, the mentor role, but seemingly not interested. If you haven't seen the original Highlander, it's definitely recommended but here's the plot in a nutshell: a series of almost-immortals are fighting each other in deadly sword fights, whittling down their number until only one remains. It's much more fun than it sounds, thanks to director Russell Mulcahy's eye for a stylish set-up and Queen's stomping soundtrack. Cedric Nicolas Troyan has been attached to direct the film, but he's also lined up for the Snow White and the Huntsman spin-off. Bautista's casting would suggest that Highlander is about to go first, but we'll see. Neither project seems to be in perfect shape just yet.