‘The constellation is aligning’ for The Legend of Conan – latest developments show promise

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Like many of you, we’re stoked about the potential to see another entry into the CONAN franchise, especially with the return of the barbarian himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take the throne.

We’ve already shared that many directors are jumping at the chance to helm THE LEGEND OF CONAN, with names such as Paul Verhoeven expressing their desire to direct. And our very own The Arrow makes a strong argument for his choice to take the controls on the new CONAN flick (you can check out his pick HERE). But while we still have some time before we learn who will be directing THE LEGEND OF CONAN, we can at least be assured the film is moving forward.

Recently the folks over at TheArnoldFans.com caught up with Paradox Entertainment’s Fredrik Malmberg and Jay Zetterberg to discuss the latest developments on the film and what we can expect to see.

Fredrick Malmberg explains that the screenwriting duties are in good hands, stating…

We’re doing the script and it’s by the whole ‘Fast and the Furious’ team, which is great for a power position of the studio because they’re exteamily successful – it was the biggest movie and if anyone knows how to build a franchise, it is that team. It’s Chris Morgan and Jeffery Kirschenbaum, the head of Universal. Arnold is very excited. It’s just in the phase where it takes a lot of work to get the script just right.

Malmberg goes on to alleviate any doubts that the film will happen…

Oh, It’s happening. We have a great story. Everyone loves it. This is a role that’s perfect for him (Arnold) and he’s very involved with the whole Universal team. It’s the best team they have. Arnold has been very instrumental to being this together saying, ‘We gotta make a good Conan!’ I think if we do this right, we can do two more Conan movies right after. I think Game of Thrones also shows a huge interest in fantasy. I’m psyched about it. 

With Arnold on board, fans have been wondering if we’d see the return of any actors/characters that we’ve come to love in the previous films. Malmberg shared…

There’s Sven-Ole…he’s a cool guy. I guess at this point, there’s definitely some room for that but it has to make sense and it can’t be cheesy. It has to be very believable and it’s also crucial to Arnold that this is not too much of a throwback and yet it pays homage…it should pay some respect to the original movies but there has to be a real reason for it.  

As for the meaning of the title THE LEGEND OF CONAN, Malmberg explains…

The idea is that this takes place AFTER Conan has been king. But this is the legend of Conan where he has been gone and people say, ‘do you remember the good ol’ days when Conan was around?’ And now it’s time for him to come back. In the stories and you can also see it when he’s sitting on the thrown and the narration on that last scene of the movie…”with a troubled brow” …you can tell he’s not really happy being king. So, it’s time for him to go out and do battle.

Malmberg also goes on to state that THE LEGEND OF CONAN could be the first of several other CONAN films to come…all starring Arnold!

That’s what we hope. In fact Arnold, judging by other classic actors like Eastwood who’s in his 80s, he still looks badass. I think if this film is good and is well received, then I don’t think we have to say NO to Arnold for several more movies. We can keep going forward, even after he ages.

And the best news is that we won’t have to worry about Schwarzenegger’s CONAN passing the proverbial torch to anyone else, as in the latest teen heart-throb or having the story follow another character’s adventures. Says Malmberg…

The idea for this particular film is that he (Schwarzenegger) will be the lead, a lot of people ask if we’re going to introduce a son of Conan and passing the torch? The idea is to not. No, this is Conan’s movie. This is Arnold’s movie!

We’ll keep you posted on news regarding THE LEGEND OF CONAN as we hear it!