Conan Movie is on the Fast Track
According to The Hollywood Reporter Lionsgate has hired screenwriters Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain to pen a second script for a new Conan movie, which the trade paper describes as “a $100 million R-rated origin film.” Blackman and McCain co-wrote the science fiction/Viking movie Outlander, which will be released by The Weinstein Company, and have also penned an “Amazon” epic about the ancient female warriors, which will star a sword-wielding Scarlett Johansson, and which will also be distributed by Lionsgate.
According to The Reporter Malmberg and Lionsgate are attempting to “reboot” the Conan franchise, much like Warner Bros. has done with Batman Begins, and they feel the way to accomplish this is by going back to the original Robert E. Howard stories for inspiration, because as Malmberg put it “Fans expect these types of movies to be true to the source material.”
Lionsgate, which is producing a number of comic book-based movies including Frank Miller’s adaptation of The Spirit, is in a full-blown aggressive growth mode as it attempts to move up the ranks from a mid-major studio to the big leagues. Establishing a successful Conan franchise that could produce a new film every 2-3 years would definitely help Lionsgate reach its goal—and, given the amount of available Conan merchandise ranging from comic books to RPGs and board games, it wouldn’t be bad for pop culture retailers either.
