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Conan gets Fast Tracked
A new Conan movie is coming faster than we thought it might. With the popularity of the new online game and with all the buzz about a spinoff character prequel Thulsa Doom and the loosely related Red Sonja (I said loosely!) Lionsgate is eager to get the ball rolling on this.
we now have confirmation this week that Lionsgate are definitely fast-tracking the project. They’ve hired Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain to do a rewrite on the script, and are currently in search of a director.Paradox Entertainment CEO Fredrik Malmberg had this to say: “We all want this movie to go into production as soon as possible. It’s a fast-tracked movie. Lionsgate felt the process was enhanced by having a second team come in and do a script.” He also said: “There’s no reason 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.”
I liked the original Conan movies, but I wouldn’t say I was a big fan, but I find myself interested in the remake project.
Getting a new team in to re-write because they just don’t want to sit on it. This makes sense to get this going. They already should have had Conan secretly in prep so that when the rest of the related buzz picked up steam they could have struck while the iron was hot.
Who knows if this remake will be any good, but the excitement around it is ripe right now, and if they can make some announcements to keep people interested by the time this comes out it could be huge.
And if its good, it will be even huge-er!
I’m a huge, huge fan of the first one. The second one, not so much. I always felt it was a shame that they never made a real franchise out of it (again, the second one probably had a lot to do with that). I think they should hire Crazy John Milius as an adviser. He really hit all the right notes and on the first picture. Anyway, I’m excited!
My review of CtB in case anyone’s interested:
http://fightingtheyouth.blogspot.com/2007/05/schwarzenegger-sunday-conan-barbarian.html
The first Conan movie was a masterpiece, I try to forget that there were two other movies made as they were a disgrace. I will forever be a fan of Dino De laurentis because of this film, the direction by John Milus was spectacular as well.
I am always up for another try at Conan, It can only be good if done correctly. It must be bloody and Rated-R or don’t waste my time!
All I want is for them to keep it true to the origianl R.E.H. stories. I really love the first Conan movie, but it was Oliver Stone and John Milus’s version of what they thought Conan was like. In the original stories he was never as stupid as they had Arnold play him in the movie. If they adapt R.E.H. stories for the screen and keep it real, then there is no stopping them. If they do a re-hash of the first movie with dumb Conan, then to hell with them. Just look at what Dark Horse did on their first 30 issues of their Conan comic. They kept it real with a great a artist/writer team and played the charater true to the original, and people went nuts for it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
I read a couple of years ago that John Milius had written a script for this new Conan film but it was rejected. That’s too bad because I, too, loved his take on Conan with the first film.
I hope they do this one right. It could rival the LOTR films in quality if done properly and seriously.
I love how every genre film now refers to “Batman Begins” as how they’re going to approach the project. Reminds me of the early 90’s and every pitch was “It’s like Die Hard, only it takes place on a bus, train, ferris wheel, etc.”