The Future Conan movie that will see Jason Momoa (of Stargate Atlantis fame) replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger (the Last Action Hero) as the sword wielding, loincloth wearing, hero has now begun filming in Bulgaria, and is due to be released sometime next year (as reported by us last month). However, the film hit a bit of a snag when Mickey Roukre (Johnny Handsome), who was supposed to play Corin (Conan’s father), recently left the picture.
This isn’t the first time Mickey has left, as he reportedly walked away from negotiations back in January after failing to reach a deal with the filmmakers, only to come back in appear firmly on board last month (Feb). It’s unclear exactly why he left, be it another disagreement, his latest injury hampering his sword wielding skills (he recently broke his arm during an arm-wrestling match), or the most likely reason; he passed it up in favour of Tarsem Singh’s ‘War of the God’s’ (also possibly known as ‘Dawn of War’).
But all is not lost as cult hero Ron Perlman (Hellboy himself) has stepped in to fulfil the role (something that must come as a huge relief to all those involved with the film) and should have no problem taking on the part after appearing in four major fantasy films (The Mutant Chronicles, Season of the Witch, In the Name of the King, and Hellby 2: The Golden Army) in the past three years alone.
There’s also no denying that Ron looks the part; having the right frame, voice, and impressive presence, to father the legendary master swordsman that is Conan; and although it is technically only a supporting role it’s a hugely important one that will take a lot to successfully fulfil (the casting call states that Corin is “powerfully built, intelligent, graceful, a master swordsman, skilled blacksmith, and de facto leader of the Cimmerians”, and apparently after successfully cutting the baby Conan out of his dying wife, raises the young barbarian alone, and educates him in “the meaning of the sword”).
