After decades in development hell, a new Conan the Barbarian film may finally be moving forward at 20th Century Studios. According to Deadline, filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie is attached to write and direct King Conan, with Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to star. The project is in the very early stages of development, and representatives for the studio have declined to comment.
Schwarzenegger revealed the news during an appearance at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio last weekend. While there are no official details, YouTube channel Midnight’s Edge has exclusive insight on the potential King Conan film.
Watch the video above.
Midnight’s Edge Exclusive
From the actor’s description, it remains unclear whether King Conan will adapt one of the stories written by Conan creator Robert E. Howard.
At the event, Schwarzenegger told fans, “With King Conan, it’s a great old story that Conan was forty years as King, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom, and there’s conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back, and there’s all kinds of madness, violence, magic, and creatures and stuff like that.”
Andre and Arnold Schwarzenegger – Midnight’s Edge, YouTube
READ: Hoppers Had a Worse Debut than Rachel Zegler’s Snow White: The Media Pretends It’s the Opposite
Andre from Midnight’s Edge suggests that Schwarzenegger should not be discussing a project so early in development. His exclusive reporting goes on to note that previous Conan sequel efforts are effectively shelved. The information comes directly from Fredrik Malmberg of Heroic Signatures, manager of the Conan IP and the Howard estate.
To better understand the significance of a new Conan movie, it helps to consider the franchise’s history.
Locked in the Vault
Oliver Stone, the screenwriter of the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian, envisioned 12 films in the series. Director John Milius, who rewrote the original draft, originally intended the series to include three films, each focused on a different theme. He ultimately did not work on the sequel, Conan the Destroyer. At the time, Schwarzenegger was not interested in making a third film. Over the past 40 years, various scripts have been written and pitched.
Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie – Paramount Pictures, YouTube
READ: Final ‘Mario Galaxy’ Trailer Drops in Special Nintendo Direct — Donald Glover Confirmed as Yoshi
One of the most discussed versions was Legend of Conan, which had been in development at Universal Pictures and drew inspiration from the novel Legend by David Gemmell. According to Midnight’s Edge, scripts from that project are now essentially locked away at the studio. Another proposed sequel, King Conan: Crown of Iron, similarly stalled at Warner Bros.
Midnight’s Edge reports in its exclusive that King Conan “is centered around a brand new pitch from Christopher McQuarrie, which created enough interest at Fox that they picked it up for further development—and they did so only last summer.”
Breaking the Conan Curse
Based on Schwarzenegger’s description, Amdre speculates that McQuarrie’s film may share superficial similarities with the original Robert E. Howard story Hour of the Dragon. However, it stresses that the idea is not based on any information from Heroic Signatures.
Andre and Conan the Barbarian – Midnight’s Edge, YouTube
READ: Netflix Ends Partnership With Meghan Markle
While it remains unclear whether King Conan will finally break the franchise’s decades-long development curse, Schwarzenegger’s renewed relationship with 20th Century Studios could improve its chances. The actor also revealed that he is attached to return in a sequel to Commando and another installment in the Predator franchise.
If those projects move forward, Conan’s long-awaited return to the big screen could become part of a broader revival of Schwarzenegger’s most iconic roles.
How do you feel about a potential King Conan movie? Let us know in the comments!
UP NEXT: Rachel Zegler Doubles Down on Racial Rhetoric as Comeback Attempt Begins
