10 Actors Who Knew Their Action Movie Was Doomed From Day One

Highlander (1986) was a highly original movie when released, blending modern day sci-fi with the medieval, in a tale of immortal warriors transcending time and fighting each other by sword until only one remains. Christopher Lambert starred as Connor MacLeod in his first US feature film, but it was the star power of Sean Connery that helped to put bums in seats with his supporting role as mentor Ramirez.

The film became a cult classic and plans for a sequel were set in motion with Lambert keen to reprise his involvement, but with Connery seeming not too bothered about returning to a role he appeared to have little admiration for at this stage in his career. The producers were reluctant to press ahead with Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) without Connery appearing, and a lot of work was undertaken in order to persuade the former James Bond star to sign on.

He had demanded numerous script rewrites take place, as well as a lofty reported salary of $3million in exchange for two weeks' filming, while during production the crew were also forced to bend over backwards in accommodating the star. Connery’s character appears in more screen time in The Quickening, but the expense to get him there as well as a whole host of other production problems saw the movies budget well exceed its return, and it is generally considered to be one of the weakest action sequels of the era.