Although he's due to turn 70 next year, Arnold Schwarzenegger is now actively getting ready to don the loincloth again for the proposed Conan sequel.
The proposed film, which would see the classic character much older than previous iterations, is now being shopped to directors and, according to Schwarzenegger, it's really happening. Speaking at a recent event, Arnie updated the status on the film and gave a general overview of the plot.
"I'm sitting on the throne for year and years, decades, (when) all of a sudden… they want to overthrow me," explained Schwarzenegger. The film was originally supposed to enter production around March of last year, however the deadline passed and almost everyone assumed the project had gone into turnaround.
Not so, says Schwarzennger and the film's producer, Frederick Malmberg. The producer confirmed that Chris Morgan, screenwriter of Fast & Furious 7 and Wanted, has polished Andrea Berloff's original script and is now canvassing directors for the job. "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."
For his part, Schwarzenegger says his age isn't a factor. "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."
The original film, released back in 1982, became a cult favourite and launched the career of John Milius as a director. Up until that point, Milius was primarily known as a screenwriter and had helped out with screenplays such as Jaws, The Godfather and Star Wars. The sequel, Conan The Destroyer, was widely regarded as a failure and underperformed at the US box office. Likewise, the 2011 reboot with Game of Thrones' Jason Momoa was effectively a box-office bomb and only recouped half of its budget at the box-office.
Since then, Conan has been largely dormant. However, since Schwarzenegger returned to acting, a third Conan has long been rumoured. It's understood the Berloff / Morgan script will disregard both Conan The Destroyer and the reboot and take cues from the 1953 collection of short stories written by Robert E. Howard.