Sean Connery's Cult Fantasy Sequel Was So Awful, Even Director Left the Premiere 

Summary:

• The first Highlander movie was a compelling fantasy genre representative, but Highlander II: The Quickening departed from the original concept and turned out to be a very different story.
• The sequel suffered from studio control, budget cuts, and constant injuries on the set.
• In the end, the film turned out so bad that the director himself, Russell Mulcahy, walked out of the premiere just 15 minutes into the movie.

The original Highlander movie, starring Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert, was the story of immortal Scottish warriors. The first film told the story of immortals who had fought sword duels for centuries – for decapitating an opponent, the winner received all the life-force of his victim. In the end, only one of the immortals would remain, and he would be entitled to a certain prize.

When the plot of the first movie began, only two of the warriors remained alive: 500-year-old Scottish Highlander Connor MacLeod and a 3,000-year-old outlander named the Kurgan. In the end, Connor killed the Kurgan and the centuries-long death match came to an end.

Highlander II Was a Completely Different Story

However, five years later, a sequel was released – Highlander II: The Quickening. This time, the action was set in the future. The ozone layer had disappeared, and to protect themselves from deadly radiation, humans had covered the planet with a red energy dome. Doesn't sound too bad? Well, it turned out to be one of the worst movies ever made, and the director walked out of the premiere after only 15 minutes.

The Earth is covered in super smog due to corporations, and the main villain is Dr. Cox from Scrubs. It turned out that the Highlanders were aliens exiled from another planet by their evil overlord, who, many years later, suddenly remembered Connor MacLeod and sent his minions to kill him.

This explains the appearance of new immortals in the second movie, although all of them were dead in the first one. They simply teleported; take it for granted.

Highlander II Suffered From Studio Control, Budget Cuts, and On-Set Injuries

The original Highlander movie was a compelling story that intertwined ancient mysticism with modern society, as well as existential topics emphasizing the importance of not only life but also death. Returning to create a new story based on this legend, director Russell Mulcahy faced numerous problems.

This odd mix of environmentalism and heroic fantasy initially suffered due to the absence of its star, who was eventually forced to return by contract, and a series of on-set injuries. Lambert knocked out one actor's teeth and lost the tip of his finger.

The intervention of the studio, which drastically cut the budget, resulted in the movie being far from what Mulcahy had originally envisioned. This was also a reason for its failure at the box office: the low budget did not allow the new movie to be connected in any way to the previous part, making The Quickening a completely different story.

Lionsgate Reboot With Henry Cavill

Now, Lionsgate is preparing a reboot with Henry Cavill in the title role and Chad Stahelski, who made all four John Wick films, as director. So fans of the Highlander universe have new hope for a worthy project.