Arnold Schwarzenegger may soon return to one of his most iconic roles, Conan The Barbarian.
The actor revealed that filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie is attached to write and direct King Conan for 20th Century Studios. The project would relaunch the long-dormant Conan the Barbarian franchise, according to confirmation from The Hollywood Reporter.
Schwarzenegger is expected to reprise the role that helped launch his career. He first played the sword-wielding warrior in the 1982 fantasy film Conan the Barbarian and returned for its 1984 sequel. Both films brought the legendary character created by author Robert E. Howard to the big screen.
Schwarzenegger Announces the Project
Schwarzenegger shared the news during an appearance at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.
While discussing King Conan, the actor outlined the story’s premise.
“It’s a great story where Conan was 40 years king as king and he gets complacent, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom, slowly,” Schwarzenegger told the crowd. “Then there’s conflict, of course, and then he somehow comes back, and then there’s all kinds of madness and violence and magic and creatures.”
He added that modern filmmaking technology could help bring the fantasy world to life on a larger scale.
“Now, of course, you have all the special effects, and the studio system has plenty of money to make those movies really big. So I’m looking forward to all of those projects.”
Other Franchise Possibilities
Schwarzenegger also hinted at other potential returns to familiar roles.
The actor said he has been speaking with director Dan Trachtenberg about returning to the Predator franchise. Trachtenberg revived the series with 2022’s Prey and continued the story with last year’s Predator: Badlands.
Schwarzenegger also revealed that he has received a script for Commando 2. The sequel would bring him back as Colonel John Matrix, the character he introduced in the 1985 action film Commando.
A Long Road for a Conan Revival
Hollywood has spent years trying to bring Schwarzenegger back to the Conan role.
In the early 2010s, Universal held the rights and developed a new film written by Fast & Furious screenwriter Chris Morgan. That version aimed to tell an age-appropriate story for an older Conan, inspired by the tone of Unforgiven. The project ultimately stalled after several years of development.
20th Century Studios has spent much of the past year working to secure the necessary rights to the character. The studio’s goal is to finally move forward with a new Conan feature.
