Deadline wrote:Arnold And ‘Conan The Barbarian’ Reunited: Universal Reboots Action Franchise With Schwarzenegger

Universal Pictures has made a deal for The Legend Of Conan, an action film that will star Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his signature roles as Robert E. Howard’s mythic barbarian. The deal brings Conan and Schwarzenegger back to Universal, which released the first film that launched Schwarzenegger’s movie career back in 1982. Universal has world rights on the film.

The film will be produced by Fredrik Malmberg and Chris Morgan. Malmberg is CEO of Paradox Entertainment, which holds the rights to Conan. Morgan is the Universal-based writer and producer whose credits include the last four Fast And The Furious films, along with Wanted and 47 Ronin. Morgan has hatched the story and might write the script. The caveat is that the studio wants The Legend Of Conan for summer 2014, and Morgan might not be finished writing the seventh Fast And Furious installment by then. If that happens he will be a very active producer, because this is Morgan’s dream project.

Schwarzenegger starred in two Conan films before moving on to Terminator and other blockbusters as he became the world’s biggest action star. Paradox was involved in a 2011 reboot at Millennium Films that starred Jason Momoa and misfired. Paradox’s Malmberg, who moved the project away from Warner Bros after seven years of development with big-name filmmakers because the project was moving too slowly, feels 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 original ended with Arnold on the throne as a seasoned warrior, and this is the take of the film we will make,” Malmberg told me. “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.”

There are no plans for Momoa to return. Morgan said that in his mind, The Legend Oof Conan not only skips over that film, but also the 1984 sequel that Schwarzenegger starred in. The direct link is to the original, which was directed by John Milius from a script he wrote with Oliver Stone. That was a testosterone-laced exploration of Howard’s mythology of a child sold into slavery who grows into manhood seeking vengeance against the warlord who slaughtered his family and his village.

“After the original seminal movie, all that came after looked silly to me,” Morgan said. “Robert E. Howard’s mythology and some great philosophy from Nietzsche to Atilla the Hun was layered in the original film. People say, he didn’t speak for the first 20 minutes of the film, but that was calculated in depicting this man who takes control of life with his own hand. This movie picks up Conan where Arnold is now in his life, and we will be able to use the fact that he has aged in this story. I love the property of Conan so much that I wouldn’t touch it unless we came up with something worthy. We think this is a worthy successor to the original film. Think of this as Conan’s Unforgiven.”

They’ve yet to figure out whether the film will be R-rated like that original, but they won’t flinch from the hardness of the period depicted.

“I loved the choices they made in that film,” Morgan said. “You start with the wholesale slaughter and death of Conan’s village at the hand of the warlord played by James Earl Jones, and you see young Conan chained to a wheel as he becomes stronger. Then he’s a pit fighter, and later basically a stud bull before he meets the first kind person of his life, who lets him go. All of that horrific stuff happened for a reason, and then an act of kindness sends him on his journey. Will that level of violence be there? Absolutely, but only if it serves a character who lives by that barbarian law of the wild, who is capable of extreme violence and rage, but who has created his own code and operates from within it. By the end of that film, Conan became a certain character, and this film picks him up there, as he faces different challenges that include dealing with age.”

Said Schwarzenegger: “I always loved the Conan character and I’m honored to be asked to step into the role once again. I can’t wait to work with Universal and the great team of Fredrik Malmberg and Chris Morgan to develop the next step of this truly epic story.”

Universal co-president of production Jeff Kirschenbaum will oversee the project, and attorneys Patrick Knapp and Richard Thompson made the deal for Paradox. CAA reps Schwarzenegger along with Knapp and Jake Bloom.

STYD wrote:"I'm very happy that the studios want me to be in 'Terminator 5' and to star as the Terminator," he says, "...we start shooting in January and I'm also going to do 'King Conan'. To play that role and also to do another 'Twins' movie. I feel very proud of that. I feel very happy and I'm looking forward to doing those films."

DH wrote:Arnie's "Legend Of Conan" Now A Trilogy?

When it was announced, it was thought that Paradox Entertainment's upcoming "The Legend of Conan" would be a one-off. Fans would get to see Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as the now elderly Conan who sets out on one final quest while he still has the strength to lift a sword.

Now though, it seems it may not quite be the character's final outing. Paradox's CEO Fredrik Malmberg tells The Arnold Fans:

"We have a great story. This is a role that’s perfect for [Arnold] and he’s very involved with the whole Universal team.

Arnold has been very instrumental to bringing this together saying, 'We gotta make a good Conan!' I think if we do this right, we can do two more Conan movies right after.

I think Game Of Thrones also shows a huge interest in fantasy. I’m psyched about it."

Key team members behind the "Fast and Furious" franchise are involved in the "Conan" relaunch and the aim at present is to get the script into shape BEFORE attaching a director. Malmberg also spoke a bit about the story and its place in the timeline:

"The idea is that this takes place AFTER Conan has been king. But this is the legend of Conan where he has been gone and people say, 'do you remember the good ol' days when Conan was around?' And now it's time for him to come back.

In the stories and you can also see it when he's sitting on the thrown [sic] and the narration on that last scene of the movie..."with a troubled brow" ...you can tell he's not really happy being king. So, it's time for him to go out and do battle."

_Marcus_ wrote:Why is Tom Hanks playing Conan?

TheArnoldFans wrote:Exclusive: Polished "Conan" Script Submitted Next Month! Conan Following Terminator!

It's been almost two years since we heard the big announcement that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be back as Conan, the barbarian turned king. Older, wiser and more pissed off, king Conan comes out of retirement for one last brutal battle...so we were told. However, considering the silence on this project, we can probably assume that The Legend of Conan is dead or strapped to the Tree of Woe, right? WRONG! Fans, I am hear to tell you the news that is best in life!

Fredrik Malmberg, a producer of The Legend of Conan, tells TheArnoldFans in an exclusive interview that they were very pleased with Andrea Berloff's "Legend of Conan" script and now they're close to finishing up with a rewrite.

"We want to polish up the script, specifically about the characters," says Malmberg, "but we don't think it will take long. We'll probably have this turned in around September after the holiday and then we'll take it to the studio and if they're happy, we can hopefully start (production) in the Spring (2015)."

Is it too early to discuss directors?

"We haven't been talking with directors yet," Malmberg tells us. "A lot of directors have come fourth and expressed interest and that they like Conan and want to be involved when we're at that stage but the studio said they want the script to be ready before we officially approach the directors. But we have been in touch with old great names and new fresh faces. We're excited about finding the right guy for that."

What is Arnold next movie? Would this King Conan film be Arnold's follow-up film to Terminator?

"That's the intention," says Malmberg. "Arnold wants that. I would like that and I know everyone from the studio side would like that but it's all in the script. We need to get the script where it's right and ready to go. In the movie world, nowadays, when a movie is a go movie, it happen very quickly. It's up to Universal to set the date for it to be released but personally, I don't think it has to be a summer movie. I think there's plenty of examples of big event movies being released in the winter like the Matrix movies and The Lord of the Rings. I can see this being a winter movie as well as a summer movie. This iconic role of Arnold as Conan is so big that it can be year round."

With Arnold now 67, he's reached the perfect age to play the grey bearded king that we all saw at the end of the first two films.
"Age doesn't mean anything to me," Schwarzenegger tells TheArnoldFans. "Because I work out every day. I work out twice a day, as a matter of fact. At night I work out with weights, and in the morning I do cardiovascular training. So for me, to get on the set and to swing the sword around again and to ride the horses and all those things doesn't mean anything [does not scare me], because I feel like I did thirty years ago. So as long as I stay in shape, that's the key thing, and to keep your body young."

DH wrote:Morgan Offers "Legend of Conan" Update

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the T-800 this year, but he's also slated to reprise another of his most iconic roles in the near future - Conan the Barbarian.

Chris Morgan, a producer on the upcoming "Legend of Conan," tells Empire that he can't wait to see the film go forward: "I'm super excited, and Arnold is super excited too. It's the perfect movie for him, because it plays into his own journey."

The film picks up on the ending of John Milius' 1982 original in which a now elderly King Conan takes on one final adventure. Morgan also confirmed that a new scribe has come onboard the currently in development project:

"Andrea Berloff ["Straight Outta Compton"] did a draft, and then we had Will [Beall, "Gangster Squad"] stepped on. I approached him early on in the process, but at the time he was unavailable and couldn't do it.

But then a couple of weeks after he passed on the project I got this package from him in the mail, and I opened it and it was a Conan sword, and on the envelope it said, ‘This you can trust!'

So when he called back a while later said he'd had a slot open up, we slammed him in immediately. He's just perfect for it; he loves it as much as I do and he has a great voice of Conan. It just makes you happy!"

Morgan also says the new film is inspired more by the Milius movie than original author Robert E. Howard's work:

"We look at all the source material and we love things that kind of speak to that tone. We're incredibly respectful to Howard. I'm a huge fan of the stories and books, but I'm a super-huge fan of the first movie, because that crystallised and distilled it all for me. Milius just killed it. He did such a good job. And Legend Of Conan is really resonant and it really digs into the legacy of that original film. I'm already very proud of it."

Finally, Morgan says they're currently working out when the project can go ahead and claims it may be sooner than you think.

ComicBook wrote:Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Legend Of Conan Will Be Brutal Sequel, Bringing Back Some Original Cast

Once Arnold Schwarzenegger is done trying to breath new live [Sic - "breath" new "live"?]into the Terminator franchise with Terminator Genisys, he'll move onto his next franchise as he prepare to return to the Hyborian age in The Legend of Conan.

Producer/co-writer Chris Morgan says the new film is not a reboot, but instead will be a direct sequel to John Milius’s classic swords & sandals fantasy film Conan: The Barbarian, according to an interview with The Arnold Fans:

Our tone is a logical extension of the character established in the ’82 film…but 30 years later. When we meet him again, Conan has been many things over the course of his life — a thief, a warrior, a pirate, a king, a legend — and is now an older man. Think Unforgiven…with a sword-wielding barbarian.

Milius was a visionary. And a hero of mine. He established a milieu that is stunning and violent and clear — incomparable. 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.

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.

Morgan also teased that at least three actors from Conan: The Barbarian will be returning to reprise their roles in Legend of Conan, though he wouldn't say who, and that he's hopeful production can begin as soon as this fall, once Schwarzenegger is done promoting Terminator Genisys.

TAF wrote:Exclusive: Schwarzenegger Talks Conan the Conqueror

Fans of the world’s greatest bodybuilder / action hero were pumped to share an “Experience with Arnold Schwarzenegger”, a black tie dinner and Q&A event held in Edinburgh today and Birmingham on Thursday, January 21st. There were many highlights throughout the night, including a Terminator entertainer (Stuart of Britain's Got Talent), life- sized Arnold statues, excellent food and a charity auction to bid on Schwarzenegger memorabilia. But the evening's greatest highlight came from Arnold when he shared with us an update to his future in film!

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The Legend of Conan / Conan the Conqueror (UPDATED! 1-24-16)

Has the next Conan film been given a name change? It was announced earlier that the next Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan film be called “The Legend of Conan” but now, straight out of Arnold’s own mouth, he just called it "Conan the Conqueror”! Arnold gave new information about his upcoming film.

"Conan the Conqueror,” says Arnold, "where I’m sitting on the throne for years and years - decades, and then all of the sudden, the time comes when they want to overthrow me. So that story WILL be told and that movie WILL be done."

Interestingly enough, "Conan the Conqueror,” was to be the title given to Arnold's proposed 1987 sequel to his Conan the Destroyer film. TheArnoldFans is thrilled to hear Schwarzenegger give us hope that Conan is still alive and well.

“Yes,” confirms Arnold, “as a matter of fact, it (The Legend of Conan) has been written and we are now looking for directors so this is a serious drive (now for Conan).”

Although Arnold may hit age 69 when filing begins later this year, Schwarzenegger shows no signs of letting age slow him down.

"One of the advantages for when you train every day,” begins Arnold, "when you bicycle everyday, when you work out every day is that age is not registering in the body the same with everyone else. Because when you stay in shape, you do turn back the clock. So I feel great and the last few movies that I’ve done, I’ve done many of my own stunts. I did all the physical stuff and it didn’t wipe me out and I have plenty of energy and feel really terrific. So I am absolutely convinced that I can do the Conan movie and do the horseback riding, the sword fights and all the fighting.”

Arnold’s closing remarks of his readiness for Conan was being drown out in cheers as Conan remains Arnold Schwarzenegger’s longest running biggest fan-anticipated project!

We also heard from Legend of Conan producer Frederick Malmberg:
Yes, Chris Morgan and I are meeting with directors at this moment. Interest is high, many are fans of Conan but we are not rushing. We have a great script and now we need the right director for the job.

DH wrote:Arnie’s “The Legend of Conan” Is Dead

The Arnold Schwarzenegger-led “The Legend of Conan,” the long in the works sequel to the original 1982 feature, is no more.

The project was in development and shaping up to effectively do for Arnie’s Conan what “Logan” did for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine or “Unforgiven” for Clint Eastwood’s iconic cowboy roles, that is one last R-rated big adventure set late in the character’s life.

Now, Universal Pictures has apparently decided to kill the project. “Fast and Furious” franchise writer Chris Morgan, who has been involved with the project, spoke with EW and was asked to offer an update. He responded:

“Not so much. That’s kind of a longer story. At the end of the day, the studio decided that they weren’t gonna make that. I gotta say, it’s honestly a heartbreak. I love that first movie so much, so much, it’s one of my favorite movies.

We had Will Beall do a draft on [the Legend of Conan script]. He killed it. Our take was Conan, 30 years later, a story like the Clint Eastwood Unforgiven. It was so awesome.

Ultimately, the budget was big, the studio was not really sure of the title, and the relevance in the marketplace. They ended up letting it go. I think they’re gonna look to do a TV show or something with it.

But just to be associated with it, pitch it to Arnold, have him get so excited, there was a moment of magic for me, personally [laughs]. You never know, down the road we may revisit!”

At last report there was consideration for turning Robert E. Howard’s iconic work into its own cinematic universe. Nothing further appears to have developed on that front either.

TC wrote:not a remake.

darkness wrote:

TC wrote:not a remake.

Remakes, sequels to long dead franchies, same thing. The point is, the '80s are finally dead.