The Legend of Conan Producers: Sequel Will Be “Brutal"

As Arnold Schwarzenegger fans everywhere eagerly anticipate the Austrian Oak’s return to his signature franchise in the upcoming ‘Terminator: Genisys,’ here’s a timely reminder that this isn’t the only of his iconic roles set for a big screen reprise.

‘The Legend of Conan,’ a second sequel to Schwarzenegger’s 1982 hit ‘Conan the Barbarian,’ has been in development for quite some time - and the film’s producers Chris Morgan and Fredrik Malmberg say the script is ready, and the film aims to start production later this year.

It will be the first time Schwarzenegger has played Robert E Howard’s sword-swinging hero since 1984′s ‘Conan the Destroyer’ - a lacklustre sequel which from the sound of things will not be acknowledged in the new film. The role has since been played by Jason Momoa in the poorly received (though, in this writer’s view, slightly underrated) 2011 reboot, which will also be ignored.

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Both the original 1982 film from writer-director John Milius and its Richard Fleischer-directed sequel end with a glimpse of an elderly Conan sitting on a throne, wearing a crown “on a troubled brow.” With Schwarzenegger now aged 67, this would of course be an ideal time to tell that untold story.

And this, the producers tell fan site The Arnold Fans, is very much the plan. Pitching ‘The Legend of Conan’ as “’Unforgiven’ with a sword-wielding barbarian,” Morgan (also co-writer) stresses the need to stay true to the world Howard created and Milius brought to life:

“Milius was a visionary. And a hero of mine… The goal, the dream, is to live up to his world. To make it worthy. And to expand on it in a truthful way that audiences will embrace. We’re very lucky that the architects of this new film — the writer, the producers, the studio and most of all, Arnold — who is Conan — are all first-generation fans who either worked on the film or who came along for the ride, cheering from their theater seats opening night.

“We plan nothing more than to immerse ourselves in the world Milius envisioned from Robert E. Howard’s unforgettable stories and Frank Frazetta’s stunning artwork. I can’t give specifics (nobody likes a spoiler!), but know we are honoring the locales, the religions and the traditions of the ’82 film.”

Milius, we might note, is still with us at age 71, but has been largely out of the film industry for some time, in part due to a stroke he suffered several years ago.

Morgan goes on to promise Schwarzenegger will not be the only returning actor from the original, with “at least three” of his 1982 co-stars also set to return - but no hint was given as to who these might be.

Location-wise, Malmberg says they're looking at Colombia and Spain, and promises the film "will look spectacular." He also adds they won't tone things down by comparison with the hard-edged original (as ‘Conan the Destroyer’ did, much to the annoyance of many fans):

“Our marching orders from the studio were to create a film worthy as a successor to the 1982 film, which was pretty brutal. To Conan it’s not about fancy sword moves; it’s about the fastest and most effective way of disposing of your enemy. A dance of death, maybe, at least primal.

“In my opinion, Conan is beloved because of his political incorrectness. He doesn’t think, he just acts. People can relate to the freshness of somebody who doesn’t give a damn about civilization — in fact, despises it. At the same time he is a magnificent fighter, leader and friend.”

In a separate statement, Schwarzenegger himself also had a few words to say on the matter:

“It is the greatest honor to be 67 years old and to still be asked to come back into all those franchises… Whether it is the Terminator movie or it is now Conan, it is fantastic! As a matter of fact, when I get back to Los Angeles, I’ll be getting the final script and then I will see it for the first time.

“But with Universal Pictures, I’ve tried to convince them now for 20 years to go back and continue with the Conan series and they were not as enthusiastic as I was. But then later, new management came in at Universal and they saw it entirely differently. They came to me right away and said they want to pick up the Conan series and to look at some writers and let’s get going on that.

“So we’ve been working on Conan and I’m really excited to be working on this - to do another Conan movie and hopefully it will be soon!“

No start date - or director, for that matter - is confirmed for ‘The Legend of Conan’ thus far, but given how well received the recent ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ has been, modern audiences are clearly still open to fresh takes on iconic action heroes of the 1980s.

Older fans of the original will surely lap it up - and as for younger viewers less familiar with Conan: time to learn what is best in life…

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Picture Credit: Universal/20th Century Fox