Will 'Red Sonja' Ever Happen?

Director Marcus Nispel's "Conan" reboot has begun filming this week at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria — with actress Rose McGowan as the lastest member of the primary cast.

According to Variety, McGowan will appear as "an evil half-human/half-witch" opposite Jason Momoa as the title hero Conan. Rounding out the cast are Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Bob Sapp, Leo Howard, Ron Perlman and Said Taghmaoui.

Back in 2008, McGowan was signed to star in "Red Sonja" — another creation of Robert E. Howard that was re-envisioned as a contemporary of Conan's during the '70s by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith.

Recent reports from Robert Rodriguez, who has been planning on producing "Red Sonja" for the past few years, indicate that "Red Sonja" will be delayed until after "Conan" has finished filming.

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"To clarify press reports: 'Red Sonja' is delayed," wrote McGowan last August. "I pulled out of doing it in '09. Not permanently. Hopefully [it] will follow 'Conan.'"

"I am still contracted to do 'Red Sonja,'" added McGowan. "Hopefully Filming in '10 not '09."

It is currently unclear if McGowan's role in the "Conan" film will interfere with the production of "Red Sonja," but how can she play two different characters in the same "Conan" universe?

What do you think about seeing McGowan in the "Conan" movie? Should the producers have used her as Red Sonja in the movie instead of a witch?

"Conan" is set to storm theaters in 2011 with "Red Sonja" hopefully following a year or two after that.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

Ron Perlman Cast as Father in 'Conan'

When it was announced in January that Jason Momoa would star in the "Conan" remake as the legendary barbarian himself, it was also revealed that Mickey Rourke was being considered to play his father Corin, the village blacksmith.

Instead, Rourke has apparently signed on to star in another epic, "War of the Gods." With Rourke taking on that role, that meant his spot in "Conan" was open.

However, Vulture has now learned that it will be Ron Perlman ("Hellboy") who will play Corin in place of Rourke.

Either way, this seems like good news. The producers of "Conan" are clearly keeping the cast on a smaller scale, and while anything Mickey Rourke does is gold these days, Perlman brings a different but equally compelling level of grit to his performances.

What do you guys think? Is Perlman a better Corin than Rourke?

While on the note of "Conan" casting, Stephen Lang, who played Colonel Quaritch in "Avatar," will be playing the main villain of Khalar Singh.
What are your thoughts on Stephen Lang playing the main villain in "Conan": Good idea? Bad idea?

"Conan" is being directed by Marcus Nispel and will likely hit theaters in the summer of 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant (1,2), Latino Review, First Showing

Jason Momoa Cast as Conan the Barbarian

The remake of 1982’s "Conan the Barbarian" is on its way and replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the infamous warrior will be Jason Momoa ("Stargate: Atlantis," "North Shore").

The 6ft. 5in. Hawaiian-born actor and model is reported to have won the role of the barbarian warrior after impressing filmmakers Lionsgate, Millennium Films and Paradox Entertainment with test scenes in which he wielded a sword, says Deadline Hollywood.

Here is the official description given for the ideal actor for the title role [SPOILER Warning]:

He’s in his 20s to early 30s, Caucasian, powerfully built, broad-shouldered, sun browned skin lined with scars. Piercing blue eyes and square-cut black mane, tall. He is a savage killer that has matured into the refinement his father tried to teach him when he was young. Conan is very smart, almost inhumanly strong, and very cunning. His entire life, from the moment of his birth, has been shaped by violence. Being the last of his tribe and having to watch his father die a cruel death, he is determined avenge his peoples’ slaughter by killing all those who led the attack on the Cimmerians, including the all-powerful Khalar Singh. He is prepared to die in order to accomplish his goal. What Conan did not expect, was to find a reason to live… LEAD
Momoa is ripped but I expect he’ll be doing some bulking up if he wants to be compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s take on the Barbarian. He meets most of the requirements listed above and I’m up for seeing what he can do as Conan.

For "Conan," I'd say it's a safe bet to go with someone like Momoa, who despite steady acting work, remains relatively unknown. After all, Conan was a role that gave Schwarzenegger his breakthrough performance to become one of the biggest action stars, so maybe Momoa can follow in his footsteps with the exception of that whole Governor of the state of California bit.

That’s not all, Latino Review also got an exclusive that the studio has offered the role of Conan’s dad to Mickey Rourke, who hit it big with "The Wrestler" last year and will kick-off this summer as the lead villain in "Iron Man 2."
What do you think of Jason Momoa as Conan and Mickey Rourke possible playing his father?

"Conan" will be directed by Marcus Nispel and will likely open in summer 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing, The Geek Files

'Conan' Casting Breakdown

Since Marcus Nispel was announced as the director of the new "Conan" film in June, fans have been waiting to hear who will play the barbarian warrior.

We now know no actors have yet been hired, as the producers have just put out a casting call for all the key characters in the run-up to the start of filming on February 15 in Bulgaria.

The casting breakdown, revealed on Moviehole, contains spoilers and includes the title role of the Cimmerian hero, asking for an actor "in his 20s to early 30s, Caucasian, powerfully built, broad-shouldered, sun-browned skin lined with scars. Piercing blue eyes and square-cut black mane, tall."

It adds: "He is a savage killer that has matured into the refinement his father tried to teach him when he was young. Conan is very smart, almost inhumanly strong, and very cunning.

"His entire life, from the moment of his birth, has been shaped by violence. Being the last of his tribe and having to watch his father die a cruel death, he is determined avenge his peoples slaughter by killing all those who led the attack on the Cimmerians, including the all-powerful Khalar Singh.

"He is prepared to die in order to accomplish his goal. What Conan did not expect, was to find a reason to live."

Actors are also sought for the roles of the young Conan; Khalar Singh, a warlord whose quest is to find the Queen of Acheron so he can build a hellish empire to protect against master sorcerer Thoth-Amon; Tamara, who teams up with Conan to find Khalar Singh; Conan's father Corin; Khalar's son Fariq and second-in-command Ukafa; and a number of others including a narrator with a 'storyteller's voice of old.'

Based on that information and the various plot details revealed in the breakdowns, "Conan" is shaping up to be a sizable fantasy epic. What do you make of the "Conan" character breakdowns?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files, MTV News

'Conan' Remake Updates from Director Marcus Nispel

Awhile back the "Conan The Barbarian" fan site Conan The Movie Blog sent out a list of fan question to director Marcus Nispel ("Friday The 13th," "Pathfinder") about his upcoming "Conan" remake. Much to their surprise, Nispel answered back!

In the “exclusive interview” Nispel discusses how he views Conan as a character, what made him take on the remake and why this modern version has to be different from the 1980s film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Here are a few choice snippets from the interview:

How important is it to you to stick to the Conan character of the original [Robert E. Howard] stories?

The character of Conan is what most attracted me to this project. He is the last of the reality-based superheroes and the most unapologetic one at that. I find that refreshing in these politically correct times.

What are your thoughts on the previous Conan films? What did you like or dislike?

The original “Conan” movie was written by two master storytellers, Oliver Stone and John Milius, giving us a tough act to follow! Their movie also features the best beheading ever in a major motion picture. Besides, perhaps “Let the Right One In”, which is another perfect example of creativity over special effects.

Like all movies they have to be understood in the context of the time they were produced. Our collective consciousness changes every generation, though and we can’t step into the same river twice. “Conan the Barbarian” was initially released in the disco era, on the heels of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back”. The original film must have hit people like a freight train upon its release. Today is a different time entirely. As a society, we are more cynical in times of depression. We have been overfed with high gloss and contrived CG imagery and seek something we can grasp. As our consciousness has shifted, so will the image of Conan.

What do you have in mind for sword fights? More asian swirling swords, or more realistic fighting?

Conan is no Errol Flynn and there will be no “frozen moments”, but he will spar with a host of characters that fight in their unique own ways. We all know that Hyboria is an ethnically diverse world. Conan will have to adapt his style slightly to conquer them.

Are you aiming for an ‘R’ rating with this movie?

I’d love to do the x-rated version!

You can check out the interview in full by going here.
What are your thoughts on Nispel's view for his "Conan" remake?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, Conan Movie Blog

Is Roland Kickinger the New Conan?

Way back when, before anyone had even seen "Terminator Salvation," news hit that an Austrian bodybuilder named Roland Kickinger had been cast to play the T-800 instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger. As we later found out, he was cast for his body, not his face. But now numerous sites are reporting that Kickinger has been cast in Lionsgate's "Conan" reboot that Marcus Nispel will direct. One of those sites is the Risky Biz Blog, run by the Hollywood Reporter's Steven Zeitchik, and they usually run only officially confirmed news. However, El Mayimbe on Latino Review is claiming this is all bullsh*t.

Zeitchik says that Kickinger is "in talks," which means it's not official. But they were convinced enough to run a story. On the flipside, El Mayimbe claims that "I have a super solid source at both Lionsgate and Millenium and they laughed their asses off!"

Who the heck is right? We will have to wait to hear anything official from the studios.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Latino Review, Risky Biz Blog

'Conan' Gets New Director

According to Variety, Marcus Nispel has been set by Nu Image/Millennium Films to direct "Conan," ending a nine-year development ordeal to reinvent the Robert E. Howard-created barbarian first immortalized onscreen by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1982.

Production on the remake is set to start late this year in Bulgaria and South Africa. Nu Image/Millennium is making the film in a co-production with Lionsgate.

Brett Ratner was originally slated to direct the film but could not commit to the film because he was working on other projects such as "Beverly Hills Cop IV."

That opened the door for Nispel, who'll make "Conan" his third redo, after "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Friday the 13th." For Nispel, "Conan" is a job he has dreamed about since his childhood.

Nispel said he will blend his childhood imaginings of the character with the influence of the famous Conan illustrations by Frank Frazetta, and the influence of such viscerally violent period films as Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto."

With his remakes of horror films (and his work on "Pathfinder"), Nispel at the very least he knows his way around violence, gore and swords.

Devin Faraci at CHUD.com is also quite certain an announcement as to who will be playing the Barbarian is forthcoming and it’s no surprise it will most likely be an unknown actor.

Are we ready for some "Conan" action?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Variety

A New Conan Director Already?

After just learning Brett Ratner will not be involved, James McTeigue is now being rumored as the new possible director for the "Conan" remake.

According to CHUD, "The director of the first Alan Moore adaptation ('V For Vendetta') and the upcoming 'Ninja Assassin,' McTeigue was long the Wachowski's first AD[Assistant Director]. There's no question that McTeigue has the action chops needed to bring the Hyborian barbarian's adventures to brutal, bloody life.

But will he have the money needed to do it right? My source fears that the loss of Ratner means a loss of budget. 'Ninja Assassin' seems to be budgeted at around 50 million, and "V For Vendetta" was 54 million. Both look terrific - McTeigue is getting every penny on screen - but Conan will be much costlier, effects-wise. Will the current rumored 120 million dollar budget be slashed with this new director?

It's important to note that McTeigue hasn't signed any papers yet, so this deal is still in the making, but it looks like he's the guy Nu-Image/Millenium wants for the job."

McTeigue works a lot with the Wachowski Brothers, so I wonder if they will be involved with this picture as well (they worked on both "V for Vendetta" and "Ninja Assassin" with McTeigue).
Since they made "The Matrix," I think that would be pretty awesome.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Brett Ratner No Longer Attached to Conan

Empire magazine spoke to "Conan" and "Red Sonja" producer Joe Gatta, and he had a few revelations to share about the upcoming films. Most importantly, it appears that Brett Ratner is currently off "Conan," which he was expected to direct.

"We’re currently in the process of hiring a director," he told us. "For the past six months we were discussing the movie with Brett Ratner, and for more timing issues than anything else we had to part ways with Brett. We all wanted him to do it, believe me; just the timing didn’t work. But you never know what can happen."

That last comment would appear to leave the door open for a return for Ratner, should his schedule free up but for the moment he's off the project. Still, that hasn't dented Gatta's determination.

"We have a potential start-date on Conan of August 24. And we’ll be shooting in Bulgaria. I would say though the emphasis is on Conan [rather than Red Sonja]. It’s our crown jewel here at the company and that will be the leader. Red Sonja probably won’t happen until next year, as far as making it goes. So we want to launch Conan and reinvent the franchise."

He added: "We'll have an open casting call: as soon as we hire our director the search is on."

Sounds like these two movies won't be coming out in 2010 as reported. I expect to hear that these films will be delayed to 2011 because of the lack of actors and directors (though Rose McGowan is said to be playing Red Sonja).

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Conan Featurette

Latino Review had the chance to check out the script for the upcoming film "Conan," a reboot of the franchise that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as the title role.


I think it sounds good. I have still not seen the original films and have not really kept up with the Conan comics, so I know little about Conan except that da' ladies love him and he kills lots of bad guys in awesome gruesome ways.
So this reboot might do well for the new younger audience.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Conan the Unknown

Brett Ratner is busy a lot right now with "Beverly Hills Cop 4" and "God of War," but he still has time to talk to MTV News about another film he is planning on working on, "Conan."

“I believe it should be an unknown,” Ratner said to MTV News about who should play the barbarian. “Conan is kind of iconic. It’s kind of like when you do Superman.”

“Growing up, my favorite comic book was ‘Conan,’” added Ratner. “[It] was the first comic book I ever read.”

That means whoever ends up playing Conan will be taking the place of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who fans of the original series believe to be the only Conan. Maybe it is time for someone else to take up the mantle of the great destroyer.

“Look, it’s difficult to fill those shoes,” insisted Ratner, “But they came up with a new Batman, they came up with a new James Bond, you know?”

I have never seen the original Conan films (I know I have to, but it isn't like they were movies my parents wanted me to see as I grew up). I will have to watch them to see Ah-nald in action and then decide for myself if an unknown would be able to play the title character.
Come to think of it...wasn't Arnold an unknown when he made the first "Conan?"

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Brett Ratner Won't Direct Conan...Now

Almost a month ago I reported that Brett Ratner will be directing the next "Conan" film. The news on that may be a bit premature.

Avi Lerner, in an interview with the LA Times, said that Ratner is committed to the new Conan film. "We still have a few obstacles," he said. "Brett is only committed if we agree on a budget, on how to do the special effects and exactly where we'd shoot the film."

Ratner says that he isn't doing Conan...not now at least.
“Let me make this very clear. I am not doing ‘Conan‘ now. This is totally premature,” stated Ratner. “For now, ‘Conan’ is only a development deal. I have a deal at Paramount and I’m doing ‘Beverly Hills Cop [4]‘ first, no matter what. Avi shouldn’t be telling you or anyone else in the press what I’m doing.”

According to MTV News, "Even Paramount is upset about the “Conan” deal, as it puts their schedule and plans for “Beverly Hills Cop 4″ in a bit of jeopardy. Ratner’s involvement hinges entirely on whether Lerner is willing to wait for him to complete his Beverly Hills installment — and Lerner is so eager to get “Conan” up and running that he may be announcing another director soon."

More news will come about the new "Conan" movie, but here is an interesting tidbit.
Here is what Lerner said about what kind of actor he is looking for to play Conan.
"To be honest, we're looking for a younger Arnold Schwarzenegger, someone we could sign to a three- or four-picture deal, because I see this as a real long-term franchise."

And Lerner even approached Arnold Schwarzenegger about making a cameo.
"I saw Arnold in Las Vegas at the premiere of 'Rambo,' " Lerner says. "He said, 'Wait two years for me--I'll be coming back.' But I can't wait that long." Lerner says he offered Schwarzenegger $1 million just to do a one-day cameo in the picture.

"I told him we could even shoot the scene in Sacramento," Lerner recalls. "He was smiling, but he didn't say yes. Maybe he can't take the money while he's still governor. That's OK, if he can't take the money, I'd donate it to a charity or give it to a school that needs the money." Lerner laughs. "Don't worry--I'll approach him again. I don't give up that easily."

Conan gets director

Conan is one of those stories that never gets old. The original movie, Conan the Barbarian, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, came out in 1982 and is now considered a classic, as is the sequel Conan the Destroyer in 1984. A third film has been in the works for over 20 years, but now a new Conan movie is being made. It will be a reboot of the franchise and have a new story with a new director and actor.

Not much is known about the upcoming reboot, which is scheduled to come out in 2010.
But according to Ain't It Cool News, Conan may now have a director.

Brett Ratner. Why does he keep appearing here? He is already supposed to make the God of War movie, and I mentioned already how much that worries me.
We will have to wait and see what happens next.


More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Ah-nald as Conan back in the 80's.