New Conan film: Arnold Schwarzenegger surprises with statement
Other franchises are also expected to continue with him
Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to return as Conan the Barbarian. At the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, the actor surprised with the announcement that he would be making a comeback in several film franchises. This includes the role of the iconic warrior Conan, as reported by the website The Arnold Fans.
Schwarzenegger was enthusiastic and explained what the sequel to "Conan the Barbarian" will be about. Apparently, Arnie will be at the center of the story as an aged King Conan:
"With King Conan, it's a great old story that Conan was forty years a King and now he gets forced out of the kingdom and there's conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back and there's all kinds of madness, violence, magic and creatures and stuff like that. And now, of course, there's all kinds of special effects. The studio has plenty of money to make those movies really big so I'm looking forward to all of those projects."
Predator and Commando with Schwarzenegger also planned
By other projects, he means two other franchises in which he once played the lead role and which are now also set to continue with him. Schwarzenegger first mentioned director Dan Trachtenberg, who shot the last two "Predator" films, "Prey" and "Predator: Badlands". "Now, he wants me to be in the next 'Predator'", Schwarzenegger revealed. "We've talked about it." In John McTiernan's 1987 original, he played the lead role as the leader of a paramilitary group that encounters a deadly alien during a mission in the rainforest.
Schwarzenegger also mentioned the sequel to "Commando" as another film. According to the actor, there is already a script for a second part, in which he is also supposed to be on board again. In the 1985 original, Schwarzenegger slipped into the role of a former elite soldier whose former unit is eliminated by unknown killers.
He did not provide any further details about the possible sequels to "Predator" and "Commando". However, Schwarzenegger revealed that Christopher McQuarrie has been hired as the screenwriter and director of the new "Conan" film. McQuarrie has made a name for himself in recent years primarily through his action films with Tom Cruise. Among other things, he directed the first "Jack Reacher" and the last four "Mission: Impossible" films with Cruise.
Conan the Barbarian: An important film for Schwarzenegger
Not a bad choice for a new "Conan" film. Even if it won't be easy to live up to the 1982 original. "Conan the Barbarian" was directed by John Milius, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Oliver Stone. The fantasy film centers on the barbarian played by Schwarzenegger, who wants to take revenge on his parents' murderers. Based on the stories of "Conan" creator Robert E. Howard, which first appeared in the 1930s, the film is characterized by its raw, almost archaic aesthetic. Neither the 1984 sequel "Conan the Destroyer" starring Schwarzenegger nor the 2011 remake of "Conan the Barbarian" starring Jason Momoa in the title role came close to the original film.
Milius' "Conan" film is not only a classic of fantasy cinema, but also helped establish Schwarzenegger as an action hero. What's more, as a type of action hero who is primarily defined by his muscular strength and thus by his muscular physique. "Conan the Barbarian" laid the foundation for an era in which actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone became giants of 1980s action cinema. Not least because the roles were written with their extremely well-trained bodies in mind.