the guy who played the head viking in the 13th Warrior would make a great Conan

Thanks for that answer. In case you misunderstood (or maybe you were being sarcastic?) - I wondered who was going to be cast to play him in this upcoming movie.

From IMDB:

LOL - i was kidding.

But Howard seemd obsessesd with the subject - the majority of his Mythos story seems to have an antropologist or some one talking about the undeveloped shape of non-white skulls.

Oh yeah seen Birth of a Nation - it needed more Deep ones!!!

August 13, 2008


No sooner has Zak Penn been announced as the Jason and the Argonauts scribe then another sword and sandals epic has acquired a pair of writers.

Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain have been asked to adapt Conan, the barbarian warrior created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s and first brought to the big screen by John Milius, Oliver Stone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1982.

The new version won't be a direct remake of that feature however, with producer Fredrik Malmberg instead going for a darker approach to the material.

"Fans expect [these types of movies] to be more true to the source material," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "There's no reason why there couldn't be a Conan movie every two years. He's almost like Batman. He's a dark hero. He's a hard hero. He has to be badass, but we also have to like him."

Lionsgate and Paradox Entertainment are overseeing, with the project now looking for a director.

"Conan" has a director
 

Brett Ratner Commits to Conan
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
November 8, 2008


The Hollywood Reporter says that Brett Ratner has weighed two high-profile projects the past few weeks: Paramount's fourth installment of the "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise and a 21st century take on "Conan" co-produced by Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate.

Ratner has now made his choice and is in final negotiations to direct Conan, which is aiming for a release in early 2010.

The trade says that Ratner jived to the Conan script by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly, who looked to Robert E. Howard's original pulp stories of the 1930s to create their take on the character. The writers are doing a quick polish to incorporate some of Ratner's ideas.

Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing, along with Paradox Entertainment president and CEO Fredrik Malmberg.

Millennium and Lionsgate are eyeing a potential franchise and envision a very R-rated approach in the $85 million budget range. Preproduction is under way for a shoot at Nu Image's Nu Boyana Studio in Bulgaria.

"The story opens on the battlefield where Conan is born and tells the origin story that sets the stage for what will be the first of multiple films," Lerner said.

Yay! I hope they don't screw this up.

They will. On an interesting side note....
I got the 'Barbarian/ Destroyer' double feature DVD earlier this week and nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, is funnier than the commentary track to 'Barbarian' than Arnold and director John Milius. It was completely unintentional, but I had to turn it off I was cracking up so badly. Arnold keeps interrupting to explain the scene before it happens (usually incorrect to what Milius was trying to infer) with lots of "look at that !" and Milius continually drools over the women in the movie when not correcting Arnold. It's as if they forget they were doing commentary and you get to eavesdrop on 2 guys. Hilarious and highly recommended :D

Brett Ratner still isn't officially signed on to direct the new Conan the Barbarian movie, but that hasn't stopped him saying his piece about what direction the film will take.

He told MTV: "The script is very cool, contemporary. It's not homage. It's not a remake, really. It's going back to the original source material - the mythology of the characters."

The iconic protagonist originated in a series of pulp novels written by Robert E. Howard back in the 1930s. The 1982 movie (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) took significant liberties with the character, including inventing a new back-story.

It does seem however that Ratner is very, very close to signing on for the project. "[Screenwriters Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain] just did an incredible, incredible job or else I wouldn't be risking it. Because I know how difficult it is to do these movies and its something that I'm really excited about."

Rumors about the Conan movie have seemingly been around forever with new casts, writers, directors and visions bandied about every few years.

With recent rumors putting anticipated director Brett Ratner out of contention, fans were left to wonder just who would step in to fill those passably mediocre shoes?

Surprisingly, it looks like hardcore Conan fans might catch a break.

Our friends over at CHUD are reporting that, according to sources close to the project, V for Vendetta director James McTiegue – whose next film is likely to be the adaptation of Ninja Assassin -- will be stepping aboard the project.