Highlander stars bring Hollywood buzz to Scotland

Some of Hollywood's biggest names are in Scotland for a remake of the 80s cult hit Highlander - and have been surprising locals by turning up at shops and cafés in the Highlands.

The 1986 sci-fi fantasy is about an immortal Scottish warrior battling his rivals originally starred Christopher Lambert and Sir Sean Connery.

Superman actor Henry Cavill and Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan have been filming at Eilean Donan Castle - a location that was also in the original.

Gladiator's Russell Crowe has been spotted at a supermarket in Fort William and eating in The Pit Stop at Kintail, where he posed for photos.

Gillan's Guardians co-star Dave Bautista also popped into a café in Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness.

Filming has been taking place in Glen Coe and the Isle of Skye.

But it should be familiar territory for at least two of the stars.

Karen Gillan grew up in nearby Inverness before a role in Doctor Who propelled her to Hollywood.

Meanwhile, another star of the new film, Kevin McKidd - best known for roles in Trainspotting and Grey's Anatomy - was born in Elgin, Moray.

Murdo MacKinnon, from Kilmuir, credits Gillan with helping him raise almost £10,000 for the Alzheimer's Society during her stay in Skye.

She went unnoticed among a crowd of family and friends who were in Portree Square to meet him at the end of a gruelling 500-mile walk from Fraserburgh.

The Jumanji star filmed his arrival, shared it and his fundraising page with her 7.6 million Instagram followers - then donated £500 herself.

"Nobody had noticed she was here. She had managed to keep herself completely incognito," said Murdo, a postman in the Scottish Borders.

"She'd gone out of her way to film it, she'd gone out of her way to share it, she'd gone out of her way to donate," he added.

"She didn't have to do any of that...[I'm] just really humbled by the kindness."

Gillan and her A-list colleagues have brought a "buzz" to the island, according to Raghnall Robertson, director of Isle of Skye Candle Company.

"We've had films filmed here before but this one seems like a particularly big one," he said.

Locals have enjoyed celebrity-spotting, he added, and his staff were keeping their eyes peeled for famous customers.

"Everyone's keeping their eye out for Superman, I think," he said.

Now there are plans to show the original Highlander at the community cinema in Portree which is operated by the candle firm.

"I remember watching it and seeing a famous fight scene in the Cuillins," the businessman said.

"We thought it's the 40th anniversary, the new one's being filmed, let's put it on for the community."