During filming of 1991’s Highlander II, Michael Ironside sliced open Lambert's hand. This is sometimes bad news for thumbs-his and others-when shooting sword-fighting sequences. Despite taking on highly physical roles that often require stunt work, Lambert is myopic and wears glasses whenever he’s not filming.

Lambert Was Pretty Dangerous With a Sword.Īfter considering Russell and The Beastmaster star Marc Singer for the role of MacLeod, Mulcahy settled on Christopher Lambert, whose only major American film credit was playing Tarzan in 1984’s spectacularly-named Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Highlander director Russell Mulcahy met with him for the film though he appeared ready to take on the role, Mulcahy told Cinefantastique that Kurt's then-girlfriend, Goldie Hawn, talked him out of it. The Role Was Originally Offered to Kurt Russell.Īt the time, Russell was a former Disney kid star who had gotten some notice for his genre work with John Carpenter in Escape From New York (1981) and The Thing (1982). With encouragement from his instructor, Widen sent the script to six agents, one of whom got it sold. Recalling a trip he took to a London armory, Widen wrote a script about an immortal named MacLeod who could only die via beheading another immortal, the sadistic Kurgan, wanted MacLeod’s head in order to claim the mysterious “Prize” promised to the last of their kind. Gregory Widen was attending UCLA as a film student in 1982 when he was asked to write a feature-length screenplay as his final project in order to pass a Theater Arts class. The Script Began as a College Kid’s Senior Thesis. Better to read these 15 bits about the film than to let it fade away. The story of Connor MacLeod, a 400-year-old adventurer forced into duels to the death with his own race of ageless warriors, Highlander remains a perfectly seasoned mix of Queen, Sean Connery, and the indecipherable accent of Christopher Lambert. Despite being beheaded by Pretty in Pink during its opening weekend in March of 1986, Highlander has managed to spawn a near-immortal franchise consisting of four sequels, three television series, novels, comics, and a robust collectible sword market.

Highlander origins the kurgan