Michael Caine Returns At 92 For A Sequel To Hollywood's Forgotten Flop The Last Witch Hunter
Hollywood buried the original nearly a decade ago, but now Caine is back to reprise his role in a franchise revival that defies all logic.
If you had Michael Caine returning as a Catholic sidekick in a sequel to The Last Witch Hunter on your 2025 bingo card, congratulations. The man who said he was retired might be gearing up to bless crucifixes again.
So, what is actually happening?
Lionsgate has officially set a sequel to 2015's The Last Witch Hunter in motion. Vin Diesel is back as Kaulder. Michael Caine is expected to return as Dolan, the priest who helps Kaulder keep the witchy apocalypse in check. Important caveat: Caine is not signed yet, but multiple reports say he is the plan.
Quick refresher on the first movie
The Last Witch Hunter paired Diesel's immortal witch hunter with Caine's cleric adviser to stop a plague unleashed by a witch queen. It was very much a Vin Diesel passion project. The box office? Modest in the U.S. ($27 million) but decent worldwide ($146 million), and the thing has apparently built a steady afterlife on streaming and TV reruns.
"The Last Witch Hunter has grown since its theatrical release into a global fan favourite, with audiences continuing to discover and rewatch it across every platform over the past decade. That enduring enthusiasm made clear there is an appetite for more stories set in this world... I’m thrilled to be reuniting with [Vin] as he returns to this iconic role, and excited by how advancements in filmmaking technology now allow us to economically deliver a sequel on an even more ambitious scale."
- Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair
Translation: the movie has legs on streaming, Diesel still wants to swing a flaming sword, and the VFX are cheaper now.
But wait, wasn’t Caine retired?
Yeah. Caine, who turned 92 this year, announced he was done after 2023's The Great Escaper. He was pretty blunt about it at the time:
"I am bloody 90 now, and I can’t walk properly and all that. I sort of am retired now."
And on the BBC Radio 4 Today program, he said:
"I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews. The only parts I’m likely to get now are old men, 90-year-old men, maybe 85. And I thought, 'Well, I might as well leave with all this – I’ve got wonderful reviews. What have I got to do to beat this?'"
Before The Great Escaper, you last saw him popping up in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and Tenet. If he does sign on as Dolan again, that would be a surprise comeback for a role that is basically tailor-made for a legend who can do 'wise and weary' in his sleep.
Where things stand
- Sequel: Confirmed by Lionsgate.
- Vin Diesel: Returning as Kaulder.
- Michael Caine: Expected to reprise Dolan, not officially signed yet (per trade reports).
- The first film: Opened in 2015; $27M domestic, $146M worldwide; later found an audience on platforms.
- Story setup: Witch queen, plague, immortal hunter, priestly partner.
- Studio angle: They believe audience demand plus cheaper tech makes a bigger sequel viable.
No title, dates, or creative team details yet. For now, file this under: unexpected sequels that might actually happen. If Caine inks the deal, the Dolan-Kaulder reunion just got real.