40 Years Ago Today, An Underrated Fantasy Franchise Was Launched & It's About To Live Again

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Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod holding a sword in Highlander

Published Mar 7, 2026, 6:25 PM EST

Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant, CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more.

Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor.

He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre.

To learn more, visit his website at shawnlealos.net.

It has been 40 years since one of the most underrated fantasy franchises began. There are several different fantasy franchises over the years that have attracted viewers, many epic stories like The Lord of the Rings, and others, more sword and sorcery stories, like Conan the Barbarian. In 1986, one movie mixed genre tropes for something special.

Highlander Was Released 40 Years Ago

Sean Connery as Juan with Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in Highlander

On March 7, 1986, Russell Mulcahy's movie Highlander hit theaters, a fantasy movie that took place in modern-day New York City. Christopher Lambert starred as Connor MacLeod, a man who opens the movie by approaching someone in a parking garage of Madison Square Garden during a pro wrestling show and killing him in a sword battle.

This was a fantastic way to open the series, with warriors using swords used in the 1980s, something unusual to say the least. That was revealed to be because these were immortal warriors who released the Quickening from opponents only by beheading them. When Connor killed this man, he received his energy levels.

This opened the door for a story about the battle of the immortal warriors, and in this case, an eventual battle with a deadly killer named Kurgan (Clancy Brown). The movie also had flashback scenes showing Connor from years before with the man who trained him, Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez (Sean Connery).

What resulted was a cult favorite movie with a massive fan base, but one that had terrible critical reviews. However, critics in the future reassessed the movie, and it has a slightly better reputation now, although its sequels were often more misses than hits. Despite this, the Highlander franchise grew in respect over the years.

Highlander Spawned A Massive TV & Movie Franchise

Sean Connery as Juan standing with Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in Highlander II

While the first Highlander movie received better reviews in later years than from when it was released, the sequel, Highlander II: The Quickening received terrible reviews and remains known as one of the worst in the franchise. It easily should have killed the series on the spot, but fans got lucky when it continued on in a different format.

In 1992, Highlander: The Series premiered in syndication, and it ended up as one of the best fantasy shows on television at the time. Adreian Paul took the lead role as Duncan MacLeod, an immortal from the same clan as Connor, but born decades later. The TV series tied together with the movies, as Lambert guest-starred in the first episode.

This series ran for six seasons with 119 episodes, and it remains one of the best versions of the Highlander series, with many fans considering Duncan as important, if not more so, than even Connor in the storylines. However, that mistaken assumption is also what slightly killed the franchise.

In the movie Highlander: Endgame in 2000, Lambert and Paul both starred as Duncan and Connor. The production, believing that fans had embraced Duncan as the new hero, had Connor die in this movie to give Duncan his Quickening, and that death caused many fans to react negatively. With an 11% RT score, it almost doomed the franchise.

There was one more movie in 2007 (Highlander: The Source), but it premiered on the Sci Fi Channel and took place in a future where Duncan and other allies fight as the world has descended into chaos. This ended up as a massive flop and has since been removed from canon as a "bad dream."

The Next Highlander Saga Is In Production Now

The good news for Highlander fans is that the story is still moving on. It has been 19 years since the last movie, and the studio is moving on with a reboot of the Highlander franchise with a new lead. Henry Cavill will follow his fantasy series The Witcher by joining this beloved franchise, portraying Connor MacLeod.

The cast is impressive, with Russell Crowe taking on the Sean Connery role as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, and Dave Bautista as the deadly Kurgan. Karen Gillan is also signed on as Conor's first wife, Heather, and Djimon Hounsou is Connor's only friend, Sunda. WWE star Drew McIntyre also has a role.

While the movie hit a roadblock with a Henry Cavill injury, it is still expected to be released over the next couple of years, with hopes for a 2027 date. However, it all started 40 years ago with the first Highlander movie, a film that remains a beloved cult classic to this day.