A month ago we learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be back to reprise his role as Conan in The Legend of Conan. We know that the film will pick up where the 1982 version of the movie left off, with Arnold sitting on the throne as a seasoned warrior. Producer and screenwriter Chris Morgan said at the time,
This is the take of the film we will make. It’s that Nordic Viking mythic guy who has played the role of king, warrior, soldier and mercenary, and who has bedded more women than anyone, nearing the last cycle of his life. He knows he’ll be going to Valhalla, and wants to go out with a good battle.
In a recent interview with LA Times Morgan discussed the film further saying that the movie is "not a reboot, not a remake. Just an update. Where has the character been all this time? A catch-up with Conan." This is something I would love to see! The movie dives deep into Conan’s rule over his kingdom, he hasn't really seen action in awhile. Morgan explains,
He’s not going out and fighting battles, but he ends up getting drawn into something, and he has to access the barbarian he was in his youth. I love that Conan has been many things in his life, notably a pirate, a major tactician and a commander of men. In this movie, we’re going to tap into some of those things – things you haven’t seen on screen yet.
If you expected to see a ripped Olympian style Arnold back in action, don't expect that, because it's not in the story. They are taking advantage of the actor's aged physic.
I want the warrior whose joints have started to fuse together, who has to crack the cartilage so he can pick up a sword again. I want the guy who’s not necessarily lost a step, but there’s some rust he has to shake off. I want to embrace that. It makes it a greater hero story.
Conan needs to be faced with challenges. The greatest challenge to him isn’t the armies that are set before him. It’s, on some level, self-doubt, a little bit of slowing down and forcing yourself to be heroic beyond what people expect of you. What I don’t want is for him to step back in and look the same. That would defeat the purpose of our story.
This could be an incredibly badass movie, and I can't wait to see how it comes together. Morgan is a huge fan of the character and says that,
No matter what, I’ll be there every step of the way. Whether it’s penning this quickly or selecting the writer, it’s me guiding the process or being a real honest-to-god producer. I’m excited either way. I’m really, really stoked.
I think this concept for this legendary character is freakin' awesome, and I trust that Morgan will bring us one hell of an epic Conan film that fans are going to love! I've always thought it would be amazing to see an aged Conan movie, just like I would like to see an aged Batman in a Dark Knight Returns movie.