Arnold Schwarzenegger and Christopher McQuarrie are ready to take a stab at relaunching the Conan the Barbarian franchise.
To celebrate the 44th anniversary of the release of the original 1982 fantasy film, Schwarzenegger told TheArnoldFans that sequel feature King Conan is eyeing a 2027 start for production. The Hollywood Reporter reported earlier this year that McQuarrie, who helmed the four most recent Mission: Impossible films, is attached to write and direct the follow-up for 20th Century Studios that would see the star reprise his role as the sword-wielding Conan the Barbarian.
In teasing the new project, Schwarzenegger paid homage to author Robert E. Howard, who created the character; Frank Frazetta, who was known for his Conan artwork; and John Milius, who directed 1982’s cult-favorite Conan the Barbarian.
“Next year, we are going to do King Conan,” Schwarzenegger told the outlet. “So that is a reality now, and I am excited about it. For the last 10 years, I have been saying, ‘We should do King Conan, and we should get a great script written, get someone who really understands Robert E. Howard, that understands the artwork of Frank Frazetta and to continue on.’ I want to have John Milius, the director of Conan 1, to be maybe the producer. So it will be really fantastic.”
The 78-year-old actor went on to say that the timing is perfect for the new feature: “The movie wouldn’t have worked after I did the first Conan because the whole idea of King Conan is that, for 40 years, he has been king. He is older now. He is no longer in the shape he was from his heyday, and now people are trying to take him out. He’s the king, and he gets a little bit complacent. He’s tired of the job, and he wants to move on. Look at the movie by Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven. It will be a lot like that, but it will be with extraordinary battles.”
Conan became an early signature role for Schwarzenegger, who last played the part in the 1984 sequel Conan the Destroyer. He was not involved in Lionsgate’s 2011 film Conan the Barbarian that starred Jason Momoa and was poorly received.
