Henry Cavill’s New Look Has Fans Talking Ahead of ‘Highlander’ Reboot

Henry Cavill has revealed his new look for the upcoming reboot of Highlander, and fans aren’t so sure about it.

The actor, who is set to play the lead in the 2026 remake of the classic 1986 film, debuted his longer hairstyle and clean-shaven face in a post on Instagram, in which he poses alongside his dog Baggins.

The hairstyle in particular, seemingly based on original Highlander star Christopher Lambert, is dividing fans.

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Cavill captioned the images with lines from William Ernest Henley’s 1888 poem Invictus. “Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul.”

The poem concludes with, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” This seems to be a reference to an injury Cavill sustained recently that postponed production for several months. That injury appears to be with his left leg, which, in Cavill’s post, is wrapped in a bandage and elevated on a table.

The injury reportedly occurred during pre-production fight training — Cavill has been brushing up on his blade skills for months. “If you think you’ve seen me do sword work before, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Cavill said at 2024’s CinemaCon via The Hollywood Reporter.

Filming is now scheduled to begin in early 2026. The film, officially titled Highlander, casts Cavill in the lead role of MacLeod, an immortal 16th-century swordsman embroiled in a secret war against powerful enemies.

When Does Highlander Release?

Highlander does not yet have a release date. However, director Chad Stahelski revealed to Collider in May, “If everything works out in the next 24 hours, we’ll be shooting sometime in September. And in 2027 or 2028, you’ll be watching Highlander.”

The reboot also features Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, and Dave Bautista.