We’ve been talking about The Legend of Conan movie for quite some time now, but the film has yet to go into production. Last summer producer Fredrik Malmberg predicted that they’d start shooting in the spring of 2015, but clearly that never happened so now he’s got his eye on a fall start instead, soon after Arnold Schwarzenegger finishes promoting Terminator: Genisys:
“I think this fall would be perfect. The sooner the better!”
On top of that, The Arnold Fans also shared a few quotes from writer Chris Morgan revealing how The Legend of Conan will connect to the 1982 original:
“A light-hearted Conan?! CROM! No. 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.”
Morgan further highlighted his determination to honor the world John Milius created in Conan the 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.”
When asked if characters from the original film will be back for Legend of Conan, Morgan teased:
“Without naming names…it’s at least three. And you’re gonna love them!”
Malmberg and Morgan just turned in a script to Universal and apparently the folks at the studio are into it, but the film still doesn’t have a green light or a release date so we can’t consider this a sure thing just yet. However, if Terminator: Genisys hits it big on July 1st, I wouldn’t be surprised if Universal opted to make The Legend of Conan a priority.
