Perlman to Play Conan’s Father

Who do you get when Mickey Rourke opts out of your film?  Get veteran genre film actor Ron Perlman. For the last few weeks, it  looked as though Mickey Rourke was joining the cast of Marcus Nispel’s as yet untitled Conan film as Conan’s father Corin. Rourke has opted out of the film in favor of co-starring in Tarsem Singh’s Dawn Of War (aka War Of The Gods). According to New York Magazine’s Vulture blog, Ron Perlman has now been cast in the role.

Currently being seen in FX’s TV drama Sons of Anarchy, Perlman is no stranger to a film like Conan.  He first rose to fame as Vincent in the 80’s fantasy drama Beauty and the Beast and starred in such films as the title role in Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy films, Outlander, The Mutant Chronicles, and the upcoming Season of the Witch with Nicholas Cage.

Though the role of Corin in the Conan films of the 80’s was small, this time out it looks like it could be a bit meatier. According to the official  cast description, Corin is “powerfully built, intelligent, graceful, master swordsman, skilled blacksmith, de facto leader of Cimmerians and Conan’s father. He resolves to answer the terrible request of his dying wife and cuts Conan out of her so she can see him. He then shoulders the burden of raising Conan, which proves to be daunting given the boy’s savage nature.”

Other Conan casting news today is that Said Taghmaoui will be playing “a leader of thieves who is saved by Conan and later offers him aid.” Taghmaoui played Breaker in this past summer’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Both Perlman and Taghmaoui join Jason Momoa as Conan, with Leo Howard playing the young Conan and Rachel Nichols as Tamara, Conan’s love interest.  Bob Sapp and Stephen Lang have been cast as Ukafa and Khalar Singh.  Lang’s character is in search of a queen whose blood will bring life to the demonic minions of a long lost god.

The film is based on the barbarian character of Conan, created by Robert E. Howard. Marcus Nispel is directing from a screenplay by Thomas Dean Donnelly, Sean Hood and Joshua Oppenheimer.  Shooting begins this week in Bulgaria.