With government work a thing of the past, Arnold Schwarzenegger continues his return to motion pictures in a big way. Schwarzenegger is set to reprise his role as Conan, the character and movie that launched the muscle bound Austrian to superstardom.
The film is currently titled The Legend of Conan, and is scheduled for a summer 2014 release. Fredrik Malmberg and Chris Morgan will produce, and if Morgan can get done with the next Fast and Furious film, he will also write the script. The most interesting thing about The Legend of Conan, is that it won’t include Jason Momoa in any way, and pulls a Superman Returns stunt by ignoring the Momoa film AND Conan the Destroyer, making The Legend of Conan, a direct sequel to Conan the Barbarian.
There’s a great quote over at Deadline that gives us a hint at the story to be told in Legend of Conan, and it could be as big a blood and fight fest as Schwarzenegger’s first take on Conan.
“The original ended with Arnold on the throne as a seasoned warrior, and this is the take of the film we will make,” Malmberg told me. “It’s that Nordic Viking mythic guy who has played the role of king, warrior, soldier and mercenary, and who has bedded more women than anyone, nearing the last cycle of his life. He knows he’ll be going to Valhalla, and wants to go out with a good battle.”
While the only good thing about Conan the Destroyer was Olivia d’Abo, I didn’t hate Momoa’s Conan, as it had the same over the top violence and choppy story found in Conan the Barbarian. While Schwarzenegger is fully behind the project and ready to jump on board, I can’t help but wonder if getting a solid Robert E. Howard style story off the ground, and shot and chopped by summer 2014 pushing it. Certainly it can be done, Iron Man 3, and Thor 2 are both examples of films that have been shot and released in a short amount of time, so 20 months could be right on target.
As much as I’ve waned on Arnold and his antics in the last twenty years, I’m still a sucker for Conan flicks and am penciling the movie in on my Watch List.
13 Comments
I know that the latest Conan film bombed but I loved it. I was hoping for a trilogy of Momoa Conan and for that matter a trilogy of Dredd films but it looks like that won’t be the case. Maybe someday…
Hum, how are they gonna explain the change from his iconic sword to a walker?
Seriously unless Conan dies of a heart attack in act one and we see someone else as the main character I’m not gonna see this at the movies, I can do “suspension of disbelief” but there are limits…
Well, I have love for both the original Conan movies (each are awesome in their own way). But I have a hard time imagining this working. Perhaps if they keep away from CGI and get Arnold in shape to show some real fighting, it would be worth it.
I was really hoping this was a joke
I loved the Original Conan. The soundtrack is probably Basil Poledouris’ masterpiece, in my opinion. It is also probably the second best soundtrack ever, just behind John Williams original Star Wars score.
I also liked Jason Mamoa’s Conan. The effects and action were great. I know I am in the minority on that one, but hey we all have movies we like that weren’t popular.
I want to see another Conan film, but Arnold is 65 years old. This news reeks of vanity. This is an aging action icon’s sad attempt to relive his glory days and futility stave off old age. The original film captured lightning in a bottle. It was truly an original, it had never been seen before. It was a violent, sexual, bloody, operatic adventure. Neither of the subsequent Conan films were able recreate the magic of the original.
The news of a new Conan project is great, but Arnold’s Conan sized ego will ruin this film. I fear, it will be the death knell for the Conan franchise.
I confess that this post made me take a second to think if today was some kind of day of tricks. This is somewhat hard to believe, but I suppose the original short stories did have a fairly seasoned Conan, so I’m willing to give it a try (though Howard’s Conan is more Celtic than Nordic… so I’m not sure what to make of the Valhalla part).
You know, as idiotic an idea as an octogenerian Arnie playing Conan again sounds, I am reminded of watching John Wayne’s last films in the late 60s and early 70s. He was old, fat, and wasn’t able to get on his horse without a box to stand on and no where near as handsome or agile was when he was young and thin. But True Grit, Rooster Cogburn and The Shootist were much better than most of his earlier films. And Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood proves that aging actors can still hit the ball out of the park. So I am willing to give Arnie a chance. Of course, the Conan films are all less than stellar, so I won’t expect something the quaility of Kenneth Brannaugh’s Thor.
I’ll agree with you on your point about “The Duke” And Eastwood doing some of their best work in their later years. What made them successful was, in my opinion, the realization they were no longer young men capable performing intense action. They traded the brawler for the tactician, for lack of a better reference. If the is the Conan that Arnie intends to bring to life, it might work. I think Arnold’s ego, will never allow this to happen. It’s a given, that he is in far better physical condition, than Eastwood or “The Duke” were, at this point in their lives. That is beside the fact, Conan is synonymous with hard physical action, and I just can’t see Arnie pulling that off any longer.
No one will go into the theater expecting Henry V, what they will be expecting is Conan and I don’t think that is what they will get. I don’t doubt Arnie’s desire or heart, just his 65 year old body
I hope for the sake of the Conan franchise, I’m wrong.
I’m tentatively optimistic about this one. I’ve been waiting for “Conan the King” since watching that scene on him on the throne at the end of Barbarian. A few things could ruin this project tho. Making it anything less than an R rating, Arnold’s stupid one-liners (c’mon, those were fun back in the day, but enough already – learn to act, Arnie), and making it too much flash and CGI instead of concentrating on the story.
Erg….optimism…fading….
CONAN THE CENTENARIAN!
I’m still waiting for the first Conan movie to be made. I mean, yes, there have been movies made with Conan in the title. But they weren’t Conan stories.
I’ll see this next one, because I love Conan, but I’m not holding my breath.
… because Expendables 2 has made around $300M worldwide with a cast of an average age in the 50’s (Chuck Norris is 72, Stallone is 65, Willis is 57, etc) …
These movies make money. Don’t ask me how or why. So they’ll take a chance with ol’ Arnie …
We need Fafhard and Grey Mouser, the Conan films will never be great.