Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comeback to the world of acting has been far from a smooth transition. The Expendables, Sabotage, and Prison Break, are among some of the misfires that he has had and audiences have stayed away. This summer he has his best bet for rejuvenation when Terminator: Genisys hits theaters. He will be reprising his iconic role of the model T-800 Terminator and the screenwriters have crafted a way for him to stay relevant in the role into his golden years.
Before The Terminator made Schwarzenegger in 1984, he first caught the eye of American audiences in Conan the Barbarian. The film was an adaptation of the pulp stories created by Robert E. Howard, it was co-written by Oliver Stone and directed by John Milius. Much like The Terminator, the role of Conan was the perfect role for his limited skill set. Conan was a quiet warrior, who typically communicated with his physicality and through his actions. Ever since the film ended with an aged King Conan sitting upon his throne, fans have daydreamed about seeing that movie.
The movie is in the midst of pre-production and producer/co-writer Chris Morgan talked about the direction and tone of the upcoming sequel:
A light-hearted Conan?! CROM! No. Our tone is a logical extension of the character established in the ’82 film…but 30 years later. When we meet him again, Conan has been many things over the course of his life — a thief, a warrior, a pirate, a king, a legend — and is now an older man. Think Unforgiven…with a sword-wielding barbarian… Milius was a visionary. And a hero of mine. He established a milieu that is stunning and violent and clear — incomparable. The goal, the dream, is to live up to his world. To make it worthy. And to expand on it in a truthful way that audiences will embrace. We’re very lucky that the architects of this new film — the writer, the producers, the studio and most of all, Arnold — who is Conan — are all first-generation fans who either worked on the film or who came along for the ride, cheering from their theater seats opening night. We plan nothing more than to immerse ourselves in the world Milius envisioned from Robert E. Howard’s unforgettable stories and Frank Frazetta’s stunning artwork. I can’t give specifics (nobody likes a spoiler!), but know we are honoring the locales, the religions and the traditions of the ’82 film.
With the recent success of Mad Max: Fury Road, surely the notion of bringing back an early 80’s property in a hard R-rated fashion is appealing to executives. Conan the Barbarian was a violent and unforgiving film, that has the potential to be a true epic with today’s modern filmmaking techniques. It seems that they are writing the aged Conan in a way that would best serve Schwarzenegger, who is far from his physical prime. At first thought, simply rebooting the character would seem like the smarter way to go. However, we have been down that road with 2011’s Conan the Barbarian, which starred Jason Momoa in the title role. The movie was both a critical and financial failure, so going back to the basics seems like a prudent move. The notion of Conan the Unforgiven, could actually be really interesting as long as there is expansive world-building around the aged hero.
Morgan also mentions that at least three characters from the original, will be reprising their roles in the upcoming sequel. The excitement for the material seems genuine, especially for a project that has been trying to get off of the ground for decades. Hopefully that passion translates to a film worthy of the character’s legacy. It is not clear who is going to be directing the movie, which will say a lot about the approach as well. However, Morgan revealed that the script is ready to go and the movie could begin shooting this fall after Schwarzenegger’s promotional obligations for Terminator: Genisys have been fulfilled. We will keep you up to date on all the latest developments.
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Source: Comicbook