After conquering the world of bodybuilding and becoming Mr. Universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger was given his first big acting break when he scored the lead role in 1982‘s Conan the Barbarian; and carried the mythical hero through a sequel in 1984 (Conan the Destroyer); a role that has now been passed on, as Lionsgate and Millennium Films have now shot a reboot (titled simply Conan), which they plan to release next year.
Jason Momoa; the actor best known for playing the gruff, barbarian like, Ronon Dex in the Stargate: Atlantis TV series; will be taking Arnold’s place, and is not only much learner than Arnold was, but at a tanned, muscly, 6”4 inches, seems to perfectly fit the description of Conan, that was first laid out by the barbarian’s creator; fantasy author Robert E. Howard; who envisioned “a tall strongly made youth” with “broad heavy shoulders and a powerful frame”, as well as “brown skin” from “outland suns”, and “a shock of tousled black hair.”
The new Conan; which has been written by Josh Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly (Sahara), and is said to remain much truer to Howard’s original vision for the character; has been directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003), and was filmed earlier this year, in Bulgaria.
Rose McGowan (Charmed), Rachel Nichols (Star Trek), and Stephen Lang (Avatar), will also be joining Jason in front of the camera, as will Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy); who stepped in to play the role of Conan’s father Corin, after Mickey Rourke (The Expendables) left the film, towards the beginning of the year.
It’s due on on August the 19th, 2011, in the U.S. (with no official U.K. date being given as of yet); which came as a bit of a shocker when most observers had been predicting a release outside the blockbuster season; and will be going up against Spy Kids 4, 21 Jump Street, and Fright Night, at the Box Office.
Thankfully however, most bigger releases; such as Captain America, and the final Harry Potter installment (which both open a month before Conan), as well as The Hangover 2, X-Men: First Class, and Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (which all open even earlier); will have likely completed their Box Office runs, giving Conan a somewhat clear shot at topping the takings.
Conan’s main problem however, will likely come from Jon Favreau’s (Iron Man) action/aci-fi/fantasy movie; Cowboys & Aliens; which is being released only one week prior to the barbarian’s adventures; and will mean that all the extra money coming from Conan’s 3D ticket sales (as it’s currently undergoing a post-production 3D conversion), may prove vital to securing the top-spot.
