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Background Info

Despite the urban myth that "The Gathering" was not the first series episode filmed the Watcher CD makes clear that it was indeed the first episode filmed. ["The Gathering's" production number is #92-102-1]. The error was discovered when a HL staff member who was aware of the FAQ asked one of the first season actors which episode was filmed first. And then, that "The Gathering" was filmed first was confirmed by the filming dates which are on the first Watchers' CD (covering seasons 1-3). Season 1 was filmed in what TPTB consider to be its proper order although the original US airing was in a different order). Filming in fact started on 13 July 1992 and it was first aired on 28 September 1992 [WCD].

Christopher Lambert was instrumental in getting the series produced, in that he introduced Davis/Panzer to the Gaumont executives. [CWG]

Christopher Lambert originally asked for just $50,000 to appear in the pilot, but one of the French investors protested it was too much money and had him written out. This made the German investors threaten to withdraw, so he was put back in. But he'd gotten annoyed by the situation so he refused and as a result he was eventually paid $500,000 for 3 days of work. [RetroVision issue #1 (RV 1)]
 
Adrian Paul (AP) was tough to sell to the investors because he was unknown. But producers Rosen & Goodman felt he would appeal to both men and women; he had the physical abilities to pull off the role, he reminded them of a young Sean Connery.

AP seemed to have staying power, he had a timeless quality, looked good in any era, and there appeared to be a lot going on behind his eyes that said he'd lived and learned about life. [RV 1]

According to Production Designer, Stephen Geaghan, the antique store and apartment were intended to be Old World in a New World environment — rich & textured. [CWG]. He took literally Bill Panzer's statement that with Highlander you never know what's around the next corner, so the set was full of hidden corners and different levels; it went from Duncan MacLeod's jade-paneled office to Tessa's wide-open studio. [RV 1]

Geaghan & Art Director, Richard Cook designed Duncan's dragon-head katana hilt. They started off with steel blades, but the sword-master deemed them too dangerous so they switched to aluminum blades which they specially manufactured. Making them narrow enough to fit through the subo into the hilt made them so weak that the aluminum broke — sometimes 2 or 3 times per fight—so they made hundreds of blades. [CWG]

Post-Production had to add, for the domestic version, a bit more steam to the shower door to help cover Alexandra Vandernoot's nipples. [CWG]

Adrian Paul says he was drawn to the series because it had so many layers — history, romance, adventure, spirituality. [HR], ["The Sword Master"]

Christopher Lambert arranged a meeting between Davis/Panzer and his friend Christian Charret, president of Gaumont productions. The meeting was held on a boat at the (1991) Cannes Film Festival. [HR "Historic Agreements"] According to Gaumont's Charret, they were careful in casting Duncan MacLeod not to pick someone who looked like Lambert, instead going for a new look. Everyone involved found Adrian Paul's physical qualities appealing and felt his martial arts skills would give credibility to the role. [HR "Historic Agreements"]

Richard Moll was not skilled at sword work, and he admitted at the last minute — at the start of the bridge fight — to being afraid of heights. They cast him because he was imposing and menacing; his performance was over-the-top and even cartoonish, but that's how he was told to play the role, which was a clone of the Highlander 1 baddie. [RV 1]

Adrian Paul reveals that Duncan felt Richie's buzz in "The Gathering", but that the audience assumed it was from Connor or Slan. In season 1, Duncan was unable to tell Richie about his destiny. [AOL]. The writers of "The Gathering" had most definitely decided that Richie was going to become Immortal. In fact, they wanted to do it in "The Gathering" (people on the cruise have seen some test footage that proves it) but there was only so much that could be done in 46 minutes, so the idea was put on hold. Between then and the end of season 1, 5 more head writers would cycle through the show. Some who wanted Richie pre-Immortal, some who didn't, some who didn't even know about the implication in "The Gathering". So, a lot depends on which episode you're watching. " [series staffer Donna Lettow posting on Rysher Highlander Forum in 1999, quoted w/ permission]

DM's earring in "The Gathering" was Adrian Paul's idea (it was a small diamond, and he thought it was right for the character), but the producers said no for future episodes. [AOL]. Geiger notes that "... DM also wears it in a couple scenes of Road Not Taken. "

"Duncan" was chosen as Adrian Paul's character's name at the last minute. It means"dark warrior" in Gaelic, while "Adrian" means "dark one" in Latin. [AOL]

Adrian Paul purposely made Duncan MacLeod a different man -- more passionate in all areas (love-making, fighting) -- than Connor. He always wanted his character to be different from Christopher Lambert's character, as opposed to taking over an existing role and this has worked out well. [RetroVision #5]

Adrian Paul was the first person Bill Panzer and the others saw for the role of Duncan MacLeod but not the last. Four months after the initial interview, Adrian Paul auditioned and did a screen test; 3 weeks later he had the job. [CWG]. He was the first of over 400 actors who auditioned for the role of Duncan; Bill Panzer - "Adrian Paul is the Highlander. He just knew it before we did."[TV Guide interview 5-16-98]

In The Raven episode "Full Disclosure" the fighting sillhouettes of Connor and Slan on the bridge from "The Gathering" are inserted at the start of the fight scene between Amanda and Cardoza in the garage. Thus the first sword fight between immortals in Highlander: The Series is echoed in the first sword fight between immortals in The Raven.

Don Paonessa, Creative Consultant, Post Production:

"I came on as the Supervising Editor. I was brought in by the producers for the first year, Gary Goodman and Barry Rosen, because I had been working with Gary on Zorro. I cut the very first show. This was in a way the pilot for the series. Tom Wright directed it and I ended up cutting all his shows; he did every other show in Vancouver for the first season. All sorts of questions came to the forefront, everything from whether Adrian should be allowed to wear an earring to what should be the color of the kitchen in the bookstore loft.

Tom was a really good director, and I was cutting things together. I took the only sword fight that existed, the practice between Connor and Duncan, and did some things with opticals and re-color timed it. We were learning the whole process of what happens with a beheading, what kind of visual effects do you have with a Quickening, playing with lightning to find a lightning that everybody was happy with. Regular stuff for starting up a new series, more ambitious for creating a show like Highlander, which includes fantasy."