Legend Of Conan
The best thing about the old action flick heroes coming back is that they will revisit some of their old haunts and make a strong comeback for the character in a big way. When Sylvester Stallone went back to Rocky and now with the upcoming Creed, he reinvigorated the franchise and is now in a position to do some really decent storytelling with future releases. The same goes for Rambo. Bruce Willis has done it with Die Hard. Now Arnold Schwarzenegger is following up The Terminator, and, more importantly, Conan.
Of course most of you remember the remake that was attempted a few years ago with Jason Mamoa. It had a decent enough cast, but it just did not carry over well. This time is promised to be different and a true follow-up the original film. Writer Chris Morgan (Fast & Furious films) has been assigned the task of bring this story back to life and his comments in a recent interview with the fan site, Arnold Fans makes me hopeful that he’ll be able to accomplish the task.
“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.”
“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.”
Fredrik Malmberg is also confirming Morgan’s statements that the gang is all in trying to make a worthwhile follow-up to the classic 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.”
Are you in for this one? I know I am. I can’t wait to see how this one unfolds.