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Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants to the Next Conan to Give Us Unforgiven Vibes

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Published on May 16, 2023

Screenshot: Universal Pictures
Screenshot: Universal Pictures

Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn’t played Conan the Barbarian since 1985’s Red Sonja. That’s almost 40 years ago, but given we’re in the age of reboots, revivals, and re-imaginings, it’s not surprising that there’s been talk in recent years of another Conan movie happening with Schwarzenegger. And in a recent interview, the actor/former governor of California gave us an update on where things stand.

In a wide-ranging discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, Schwarzenegger talked about a lot of things, including the status of a potential Conan sequel.

“It’s been pending for the last 10 years. [Fredrik] Malmberg owns the rights. He comes to me and says, ‘Oh, I have a deal with Netflix,’ and when we ask Netflix, they don’t know anything about it,” he said. “It’s one of those crazy things. I hope he figures it out. I think you do it like Unforgiven, where you play the age. There’s a great script out there that John Milius wrote, and others have written one. The story is there. There are directors who want to do it. But he has the rights, and until he sells the rights for one or two movies, or for the franchise, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The concept of a grizzled Conan who has to take on one more quest before retiring as a peasant farmer sounds intriguing. It sounds like, alas, we might not get to see it. Schwarzenegger also shared that the proposed sequel to Twins is also dead in the water. “Jason Reitman fucked it up!” he said, not mincing words about it. “Jason Reitman literally stopped the project when his father [Ivan Reitman] died. His father wanted to do it really badly. I wanted to do it really badly. Danny DeVito wanted to do it really badly. We had the financing. When his father passed away, Jason says, ‘I never liked the idea’ and put a hold on it. I’m developing another movie with Danny; he’s so much fun to work with and so talented.”

At least it sounds like we’ll see DeVito and Schwarzenegger back on screen together again in some sort of project! And who knows, maybe if the Conan movie gets off the ground, DeVito could also play Conan’s trusted peasant neighbor who goes back with the Barbarian for his one final quest.

About the Author

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Vanessa Armstrong

Author

Vanessa Armstrong is a writer with bylines at The LA Times, SYFY WIRE, StarTrek.com and other publications. She lives in Los Angeles with her dog Penny and her husband Jon, and she loves books more than most things. You can find more of her work on her website or follow her on Twitter @vfarmstrong.
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