Highlander remake with Cavill, Crowe, Bautista; Gillan joins.

A high-profile remake of the 1980s cult classic Highlander is moving forward, with Amazon MGM Studios United Artists officially assembling a star-studded cast for Chad Stahelski’s action-forward take. Henry Cavill will headline as Connor MacLeod, the immortal swordsman, with Russell Crowe as Ramirez and Dave Bautista as The Kurgan. Karen Gillan has joined the ensemble to play Heather, MacLeod’s mortal wife and the love of his life, and Marisa Abela is also in a leading role. Principal photography is slated to begin at the end of September, and the movie is planned for a theatrical release.

The original Highlander, released in 1986, follows MacLeod, a Medieval Scottish Highlander who discovers he is an immortal and must battle other immortals through the ages, with a climactic confrontation that famously culminates in the line, there can be only one. The remake keeps the core premise—immortals engaged in a centuries-spanning feud—but is being reimagined for a contemporary audience under Stahelski, known for creating high-octane action with a distinctive cinematic language.

Gillan’s addition to the cast places her in the role of Heather, MacLeod’s mortal wife. The casting expands...