Finally free from the oppressive chains of leading the great state of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has wasted no time when it comes to lining up new project after new project. (Look! We even made a guide to all those new projects!) And yet, that just doesn’t seem to be enough for the action star. What else could he possibly want?
Apparently, to be Conan the Barbarian again. Deadline Hollywood reports that Universal Pictures has lined up a deal for a brand new Schwarzenegger-starring Conan film, titled The Legend of Conan. No, you are not dreaming this.
So, just what sort of Conan film are we in for, now that thirty years have passed since Schwarzenegger first played the character? Well, one that centers on a nearly-dead Conan. That sounds fun! Producer Fredrik Malmberg explains, “The original ended with Arnold on the throne as a seasoned warrior, and this is the take of the film we will make…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.”
Within that description, there is some further subtext that proves important: this new film will essentially ignore not only the 2011 Jason Momoa-starring reboot, but also the 1984 sequel. Malmberg, who took the project from Warner Bros. after a stultifying seven-year development period, reportedly believes that “this is the version of the film that he and everybody else always wanted to see on the screen but couldn’t while Schwarzenegger was governor of California.”
The new film will be produced by Malmberg (CEO of Paradox Entertainment, the company that holds the rights to the character) and Chris Morgan, who “hatched” the story for the new film and could potentially write its script. Morgan is currently writing the script for, can you believe this is a thing?, the seventh Fast and Furious film, which could put a pin in Uni’s plan to get this new Conan on screens for the summer of 2014.
Universal released the first Conan film back in 1982.
Related Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger
