Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed that “King Conan,” the long-awaited sequel to Conan the Barbarian, will begin filming in 2027, per complex.com.
Christopher McQuarrie is attached to write and direct the film, Schwarzenegger told TheArnoldFans on May 25.
“Next year we are going to do King Conan,” Schwarzenegger said. “That is a reality now, and I am excited about it.” The film marks his return to the role more than four decades after starring in 1982’s Conan the Barbarian and 1984’s Conan the Destroyer.
The sequel will focus on an older Conan, now a king who has grown complacent and vulnerable. “He is no longer in the shape he was from his heyday, and now people are trying to take him out,” Schwarzenegger said. “He’s the king, and he gets a little bit complacent. He’s tired of the job, and he wants to move on.”
McQuarrie, director of the four most recent Mission: Impossible films, will write and direct. Schwarzenegger said he wanted the project handled by someone familiar with Robert E. Howard’s original stories and Frank Frazetta’s artwork, which shaped the character’s visual legacy. He also said he would like original Conan the Barbarian director John Milius to serve as a producer.
Schwarzenegger compared the film’s tone to Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, describing it as a story of an aging warrior drawn back into conflict. “It will be a lot like that, but it will be with extraordinary battles,” he said.
The character first appeared in Howard’s pulp stories in Weird Tales in 1932 and later expanded into comics, novels, television, games and film. Schwarzenegger’s 1982 portrayal remains the most recognized screen version and helped establish his career before The Terminator.
Conan the Barbarian launched in 1982 and became a defining role for Schwarzenegger, then a champion bodybuilder transitioning to film. The proposed sequel has been discussed for years, with Schwarzenegger publicly supporting a return to the franchise.
•Featured image by Dino De Laurentiis/Universal Pictures/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
