Tom Cruise Sought For Sean Connery Role In Forever Developing 'Highlander' Remake

Highlander Tom CruiseThe proposed "Highlander" remake has been cooking through the development process for a few years now. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later," "Intruders") was attached at one point, and then Ryan Reynolds was bandied about to lead, but both names drifted away. Then, last fall, visual effects supervisor and second unit director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan signed on to helm in what would be his feature debut, and now it appears Summit Entertainment want a big name to anchor the redo.

The Wrap reports that the studio is seeking Tom Cruise to take on the Sean Connery mentor role in their redo. All the sources stress that this is, at most, a wish on behalf of the studio, with the actor’s own reps noting he’s busy with "Mission: Impossible 5" at moment, and that Cruise tends to have a lot of things on his desk to look at. And frankly, this probably isn’t the most enticing prospect. The actor has never gotten out of bed to work with a first time filmmaker, and while he may not have the same luster at home, he’s still huge internationally, and commands the kind of salary only rare star wattage brings. Moreover, while the trade notes the role could be beefed up if Cruise signs on, playing the mentor in "Highlander" is still a supporting part, no matter how substantial. And Cruise is still very much a leading man, and rarely goes supporting.

So yeah, don’t hold your breath on this happening, as even The Wrap’s own report seems pretty doubtful this would come together. But hey, stranger things have happened, we suppose…