We owe our thanks to screenwriter/producer Chris Morgan (Wanted), whose passion for bringing Conan the Barbarian back to the big screen also managed to convince Arnold Schwarzenegger to reprise the role. In the end, it was Morgan’s description of The Legend of Conan, as more of a “cultural catch-up” than a reboot, that got the 65-year-old Schwarzenegger interested in the project. The veteran action star has already appeared in both The Expendables films after leaving office and will next star in Kim Jee-woon’s actioner The Last Stand, followed by David Ayer’s drug enforcement flick, Ten; but The Legend of Conan offers something more than just a return to his former action-hero glory. Hit the jump to see what Morgan has in store for The Legend of Conan.

We’ve got a ton of stuff to get through in Limited Paper today, including a look at Mondo’s next big gallery show (featuring artwork from Australian duo We Buy Your Kids), FroDesignCo’s series of Mythic Beasts Travel Posters (featuring Limited Paper’s spirit animal, the Chupacabra), Gallery1988’s Rated G (featuring work from Justin White), and—because why the hell not—we also need to provide an update on our latest contest/giveaway while teasing the next one.  Phew.  Bring a bookmark and meet me on the other side of the jump, my fellow poster junkies.

Every once in a while, I like to remind readers that our weekly “Top 5″ is a perpetual “work in progress.” That in mind, if you ever find yourself thinking, “Man, I wish Jason wasn’t such an idiot and would do this or that with the ‘Top 5′,” then I’m inviting you to either leave your suggestion in the comments section and/or e-mail me (colliderjason@gmail.com). The goal is to make the weekly feature as beneficial and entertaining to you, the reader, as possible. So, by all means, let us know if there is something missing that you would like to see. Now, with that out of the way…

In this week’s installment, you’ll find all of our video interviews with the cast of Conan the Barbarian, Matt’s editorial documenting what he views as the rise and fall of cult status, the first trailer and 34 hi-res images from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, news confirming all of our worst fears regarding a Blade Runner follow-up, and our visit to the Alamo Drafthouse to check out the new Fright Night with stars Anton Yelchin and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Hit the jump for links and brief recaps for each.

A good Conan the Barbarian movie shouldn’t be that hard to make.  The character is simple.  He’s a buff, taciturn guy who caves in skulls and cuts his enemies in half with a gigantic sword.  This is Conan.  This is simple. And yet director Marcus Nispel has no idea what kind of Conan movie he wants to make.  Is it a good, old-fashioned sword-and-sorcery flick?  Is it a modern spin on the classic comic book?  Is it a campy action movie?  Is it a self-serious “realistic” drama?  Perhaps a better movie could have melded all of these elements together, but Conan the Barbarian is an absolute mess, and even worse, an absolute bore.

After years in pre-production, including a well respected but unproduced John Milius draft, an aborted Red Sonja redux and a countless hours of fan casting, Conan The Barbarian returns to theaters this Friday with Marcus Nispel directing Game of Thrones’ Jason Momoa, as the titular warrior.  Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman and Stephen Lang round out the cast of this 3D bloodbath.

Hemming closer to the fantastical Robert E. Howard books, this new Conan is stripped down and vicious. Recently, I sat down with McGowan to discuss her role as an evil priestess in the film. During our interview we discussed the joy of playing mean, why her Red Sonja film was put on hold, her character’s bizarre, but oddly sensuous appeal, the dangers of STDs in ancient times, and she gave us a tidbit on her upcoming film Fortune, where she might be playing a transvestite.  Hit the jump to watch.

After years in pre-production, including a well respected but unproduced John Milius draft, an aborted Red Sonja redux and a countless hours of fan casting, Conan The Barbarian returns to theaters this Friday with Marcus Nispel directing Game of Thrones’ Jason Momoa, as the titular warrior.  Rose McGowan, Ron Perlman and Stephen Lang round out the cast of this 3D bloodbath.

Hemming closer to the fantastical Robert E. Howard books, this new Conan is stripped down and vicious. Recently, I sat down with Rachel Nichols to discuss her role as a pure blood missionary in the film. During our interview we discussed the benefits of being the only girl on set, the way that the story is built around her femininity, what it takes to win the heart of a barbarian and she gives us a little taste of what the new Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross, starring Tyler Perry will look and feel like.  Hit the jump to watch.

After years in pre-production, including a well respected but unproduced John Milius draft, an aborted Red Sonja redux and a countless hours of fan casting, Conan The Barbarian returns to theaters this Friday with Marcus Nispel directing Game of Thrones’ Jason Momoa, as the titular warrior.  Rose McGowan, Ron Perlman and Stephen Lang round out the cast of this 3D bloodbath.

Hemming closer to the fantastical Robert E. Howard books, this new Conan is stripped down and vicious. Recently, I sat down with Momoa to discuss his take on the role, the film’s massive body count, the choreography, injuries on set, his reticence to engage in other fanboy franchises, tidbits on Bullet to the Head, and reveals he’s going to write and direct Road to Paloma.  Hit the jump for the full interview, the promo trailer for Road to Paloma, and a look inside the interview process.

Rachel Nichols has worked out her own little niche: having chick fights, which she lovingly terms as “dope.” The stunning blonde actress stands 5’10” but is as gentle and open as can be. No wonder they found her to be a great match for the 6’4” Jason Momoa as they co-star in Lionsgate’s Conan the Barbarian revamp. When I sat down with Nichols yesterday afternoon, we explored what it feels like to be a first-timer at Comic-Con, girl fights, the challenges of shooting in Bulgaria, and even the other Rachel Nichols at ESPN. For my full interview transcript and audio, hit the jump.

Tall, broad, and brooding, Jason Momoa is both handsome and intimidating. Luckily, he is also thoughtful, open, and seems to enjoy his craft. Yesterday I sat down with the Conan the Barbarian star and talked about his role and filling the shoes of the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger. We also talked about swinging a real sword, what he geeks out over, his role as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones, and an update on Bullet to the Head. Hit the jump for my full interview, including audio.

Directed by Marcus Nispel, Lionsgate’s Conan the Barbarian will hit theaters August 19^th, and when I sat down with star Jason Momoa, he seemed eager to talk about the role. Because the lobby where we were going to hold the interview was a little too noisy, he suggested we go into the hotel fitness center instead. Looking perfectly at home on a leg raise machine, we began the interview.

In theory, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop should have been a simple work of hero worship presenting the recently fired talk show host as a misunderstood comedy genius who was unfairly dealt a bad hand by evil ivory-tower dwelling NBC executives. Admirably, director Rodman Flender went for something a little more complex. Coco fans needn’t worry about seeing their hero torn to shreds in a character assassination piece, but at the same time the portrait of Conan that Flender presents is far more complicated than expected. Conan comes off as a major talent, but also an entertainer with a fragile ego. There’s a sense that after almost two decades of hosting a late night talk show, O’Brien has a compulsive and almost unhealthy desire to entertain. He seems comfortable only in front of an audience and is capable of communicating almost exclusively through jokes (often of a viciously critical variety). It’s a character trait perfectly suited to hosting a talk show, but also one that makes him seem out of place in nearly every other environment. Think of this as the Don’t Look Back of comedy. My full review after the jump.

Hey remember that awesome Conan the Barbarian motion poster we showed you a couple months back where he was standing on top of a mountain of skulls?  Okay, now imagine if that image was lame and crappy and you actually had to move the frame of the poster just to see Conan (Jason Momoa) swinging his sword at a guy and blending into the background.  This is called a “motion portrait” and it’s a trend that shouldn’t catch on.  However, if you’re super hard-up for new Conan stuff, you can check out the portrait after the jump [Warning: it has sound].  Conan the Barbarian opens in 3D on August 19th. [Update: Lionsgate has informed us that this is a sneak peek at the website that is relaunching tonight.  Not exactly sure how that makes the motion portrait any better.]

New posters have been released for Conan the Barbarian, Colombiana, and the documentary Page One: Inside The New York Times.  Hit the jump to check out the posters along with a synopsis and release date for each film.

Unless you’re Australian, you’re probably not familiar with Thor leading man Chris Hemsworth.  American ignorance about the actor turns out to be a huge boon for Conan O’Brien as he decided to put a slightly effeminate spin on Mr. Hemsworth’s performance.

Hit the jump to see what I mean.  Thor opens in 3D on May 6th.

At WonderCon, Fox unveiled a 3 minute sizzle reel from their upcoming time travel and dinosaur filled TV series Terra Nova.   While the show has been delayed until the fall, after watching the footage, I understand why.  Not only does the show take place 85 million years in the past, it also takes place a hundred years in the future.  Nothing is present day.  It’s without a doubt one of the most ambitious ideas for network television to ever be greenlit and I couldn’t be more excited.  For all our previous coverage on Terra Nova including trailers and images, click here.

Before the panel, I got to talk with Stephen Lang.  We discussed who he plays, why he wanted to get involved in the project, when do they start to film again, how did Avatar help him with this role, has he seen Conan, and reveals Terra Nova will have a 9 day shooting schedule (which is huge for a TV show).  Hit the jump to watch.

The teaser trailer for the Conan the Barbarian reboot has gone online. The film stars Jason Momoa as the eponymous Conan, with Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, and Rachel Nichols rounding out the cast. This is very much a teaser trailer, with merely flashes of footage popping up in a puff of smoke. While Momoa is definitely no Schwarzenegger, it’s tough to get a sense of what the flick will actually turn out like just yet. I’ll reserve judgment until a theatrical trailer gets released, or at least until we see more than dancing smoke people. Directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot), the film is set to be released on August 19^th in 3D. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.