Arnie returns as King Conan...

[MacNimon]

Arnold Schwarzenegger back as Conan...

Arnie is to return to the role of the character which made him a household name back in the early 80s, Conan The Barbarian, in The Legend Of Conan


This time round, Arnie will play the older and wiser King Conan as seen in the final scene of Conan The Destroyer. Here's hoping they give us a decent version of a classic King Conan story, I'll not be holding my breath though!

I'm not a big fan of Arnie's Conan but he's the best chance the production company have of successfully reviving the franchise after the mess that was the 2011 movie. It may be a perfect opportunity to recast the younger Conan is we have Arnie telling a story in flashback as well, paving the way for more (and better) movies in the future. I'm a big Conan fan and know that there are some brilliant stories waiting to be told...the celluloid version of the character has been a big disappointment to me over the years and it would be nice to think they'll do the character justice for once.

But Arnie's involvement suggests otherwise...it's simply a perfect mutual marketing situation for both actor and production company...a way back into movies for Arnie with a ready-made explanation for his advancing years...this time he can use his age to his advantage. Certainly it's no guarantee of a quality movie, though!

[Jeff]

I'm sure I read that the recent Conan movie as well as The Destroyer will both be ignored completely, and that the new film will follow the original somehow. I still haven't seen the latest movie, though I intended to originally.

[Rob McCow]

reviving the franchise after the mess that was the 2011 movie

Say what now?

It's an intriguing idea, returning to a role after so long. Even if it was just a bit of grunt and loincloth at the time.

[MacNimon]

I've seen all 3 films made so far, and the first is easily the best. I love the epic feel to it...the pacing, the music, the sets. The biggest drawback is that Arnie isn't a great actor...I love this movie, all the same. Its sequel was merely watchable and rather forgettable, lacking the epic feel of the original. Don't get me wrong, it was still fun though.

My biggest problem with both these films though has always been that Arnie's Conan has never been the Conan that I grew up with in the comics and books, I suppose in much the same way that Roger Moore's 007 doesn't much resemble Ian Fleming's literary character. Arnie, quite simply, hasn't got the acting talent to pull it off...plot-wise, the literary Conan is simply a big, strong man (not one with a bodybuilders' physique) who has never been a slave who wants vengeance for his parents death. He is simply making his way around the world, making a living in any way he can whether it's legal (soldiering/bodyguard etc) or not (thieving/pirating etc when necessary). Of course you always have to expect things to differ when adapted to the screen, but the problem is the actual character of Conan. It's hard to imagine Arnie's Conan having the razor-sharp military mind of the literary version, this was one of the main reasons that the character got into a position where he would eventually become a king. A hard man who is simply looking after his own back, but with his own code of honour...a hero only in that he wouldn't stand by and watch an innocent party suffer at the hands of some rogue, if he came across it; someone totally loyal to his friends and comrades but at the same time would have no hesitation in cutting their throats if they betrayed him. Arnie's Conan, on the other hand, is a likeable character who doesn't appear to be particularly bright and certainly lacks the savage mentallity which drives the character on.

Don't get me wrong, it'll be nice to see Arnie back as Conan again...it'll be a shot in the arm for the franchise after last years Conan remake/reboot/whatever. It wasn't terrible by any means, I enjoyed it for what it was and Jason Momoa was great in the role; a much more recognisable Conan than Arnie's version, but that alone isn't enough to make a good movie. The story itself sadly was a bit of a mess. It wasn't a turkey, but it did nothing to reignite interest in the character outside of the existing fan-base. Ideally now though, we could have one Arnie film to finish off his trilogy, then perhaps another with Arnie's King recalling a story of his younger days in flashback with Momoa as the younger Conan; but of course it's all dependent on having a decent script in the first place, isn't it?