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Post by Von K on Mar 14, 2021 17:45:25 GMT -5
Florian Munteanu maybe a good fit as a cinematic Conan. 6'4", looks strong, agile and fast. Good spot monolith. He's got that rare combination of appearance, athleticism and acting experience. Definitely needs to be high on the list of potentials. Boxer training is one of the best forms of athleticism for a role like Conan imho. Looks to have good core strength too. Could probably manage more than a few dragon flags.
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Post by themirrorthief on Mar 16, 2021 18:01:28 GMT -5
pee wee herman would make a great conan after he'd fell victim to an evil wizards spell and shriveled up
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Post by kemp on Mar 17, 2021 1:43:13 GMT -5
They should get someone who looks scarred, ugly, and like they have strength from constant fighting, climbing, and working in laborious jobs, not someone who looks like they spend too much time on some gym machines trying to get the most defined six pack.
If you ever watched arm wresting competitions you would notice that it's not always the strongest looking guy that wins.
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Post by kemp on Mar 17, 2021 1:50:47 GMT -5
They should get someone that looks like a slightly younger version of this.
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Post by megatron on Mar 17, 2021 5:01:21 GMT -5
They should get someone who looks scarred, ugly, and like they have strength from constant fighting, climbing, and working in laborious jobs, not someone who looks like they spend too much time on some gym machines trying to get the most defined six pack. If you ever watched arm wresting competitions you would not notice that it's not always the strongest looking guy that wins. Your ignorance to what goes into making a physique is staggering. Your ignorance to what successful fighters look like is almost as staggering. Its' not always the strongest looking guy who wins? Thanks for the tip... Here's a tip for you... 4 out of 5 times it is the guy who is stronger and in better cardio shape (all skill levels being equal) who does actually win. If you think arm wrestling has anything to do with fighting you are delusional. Have you ever seen MMA? Have you seen Mike Tyson? Brock Lesnar? Shane Carwin? Randy Couture? Just to name a few unbelievably successful heavyweight fighters who have tremendous physiques and are completely jacked. Have you seen any of the great Heavyweight Boxers? These guys are built like they spend time in the gym... cause almost exclusively they do spend time in a gym because it is a tremendous way to increase your strength... WHICH is a huge advantage when you are fighting. Then there is the whole thing about how REH described Conan and wanting to be faithful to that... but yeah let's bring in a champion arm wrestler, who doesn't look strong, who is ugly and has real scars. FML
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Post by BlackHeart on Mar 17, 2021 7:19:25 GMT -5
I agree with Megatron on this one. Personal example - I was a very muscular teenager. Mostly the environment saw me as a guy with a six pack in a tight t-shirt. When I started wrestling, I was - as my coach at the time said - a powerful raw talent. And I was undefeated in the light heavyweight category for 8 months in a row, beating very often local strongmen, and even one powerlifter far stronger than me, who is my best friend today. Suffice it to say that only on my arm, of all the wrestlers, you could clearly see the vein over the biceps. It is very common (not always) that those guys whose training is most similar to bodybuilding are far more physically fit. Once again, the new Conan should by no means be a bodybuilder, but he should definitely be powerfully built, impressive in appearance, physically fit and in shape. I have always been impressed by a scene from Red Nails in which Howard describes Conan and Olmec shoulder to shoulder, as a wonderful image of primitive strenght - emphasizing the far more correctly shaped figure of the Cimmerian. It should also be taken into account that a person can look powerful, strong, almost primal in his appearance, without looking like a muscle cracked bodybuilder, even if he is over the top dedicated to the gym. There is nothing wrong with that. Just take a look at Manu Bennet, Henry Cavill, Paul Telfer, Chris Hemsworth... One couldn't help but see our Cimmerian with similar build.
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Post by kemp on Mar 17, 2021 9:14:09 GMT -5
They should get someone who looks scarred, ugly, and like they have strength from constant fighting, climbing, and working in laborious jobs, not someone who looks like they spend too much time on some gym machines trying to get the most defined six pack. If you ever watched arm wresting competitions you would not notice that it's not always the strongest looking guy that wins. Your ignorance to what goes into making a physique is staggering. Your ignorance to what successful fighters look like is almost as staggering. Its' not always the strongest looking guy who wins? Thanks for the tip... Here's a tip for you... 4 out of 5 times it is the guy who is stronger and in better cardio shape (all skill levels being equal) who does actually win. If you think arm wrestling has anything to do with fighting you are delusional. Have you ever seen MMA? Have you seen Mike Tyson? Brock Lesnar? Shane Carwin? Randy Couture? Just to name a few unbelievably successful heavyweight fighters who have tremendous physiques and are completely jacked. Have you seen any of the great Heavyweight Boxers? These guys are built like they spend time in the gym... cause almost exclusively they do spend time in a gym because it is a tremendous way to increase your strength... WHICH is a huge advantage when you are fighting. Then there is the whole thing about how REH described Conan and wanting to be faithful to that... but yeah let's bring in a champion arm wrestler, who doesn't look strong, who is ugly and has real scars. FML Different opinions aside, I stand by what I said, we all watched boxing, also took part in some of it myself growing up in Melbourne's western suburbs. Not all of it nice and organised. Arm wrestling is a type of grappling, look at the treatise on western martial arts, plenty of grappling employed, and that's what Conan would be employing too, that and boxing. Yes, working out in a gym helps, I do some weights, big on push ups using parallels, but it' not the whole package, boxers have to be fast too. In this regards we are talking about boxers not body builders. At the end of the day Conan is trying to survive, life or death struggle, that needs to be conveyed to the audience. Being flexible, having mobility are important for a fighter, when you add strength on top of that you have a winning combination, and than skills come into play. Muscle is important, too much muscle mass at the sacrifice of mobility not so good. Train hard for MMA and the over muscled gym junkie would of course lose some of that muscle, but gain the cardio and mobility. Next comes the story and script. We may agree on someone that looks like what we imagine Conan to be, but if the concept is lost in the production process the results will be shit.
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Post by kemp on Mar 17, 2021 9:21:42 GMT -5
I agree with Megatron on this one. Personal example - I was a very muscular teenager. Mostly the environment saw me as a guy with a six pack in a tight t-shirt. When I started wrestling, I was - as my coach at the time said - a powerful raw talent. And I was undefeated in the light heavyweight category for 8 months in a row, beating very often local strongmen, and even one powerlifter far stronger than me, who is my best friend today. Suffice it to say that only on my arm, of all the wrestlers, you could clearly see the vein over the biceps. It is very common (not always) that those guys whose training is most similar to bodybuilding are far more physically fit. Once again, the new Conan should by no means be a bodybuilder, but he should definitely be powerfully built, impressive in appearance, physically fit and in shape. I have always been impressed by a scene from Red Nails in which Howard describes Conan and Olmec shoulder to shoulder, as a wonderful image of primitive strenght - emphasizing the far more correctly shaped figure of the Cimmerian. It should also be taken into account that a person can look powerful, strong, almost primal in his appearance, without looking like a muscle cracked bodybuilder, even if he is over the top dedicated to the gym. There is nothing wrong with that. Just take a look at Manu Bennet, Henry Cavill, Paul Telfer, Chris Hemsworth... One couldn't help but see our Cimmerian with similar build. Henry Cavill you note, yes, someone like that after training, athletic and well versed in medieval style western arts, gets the choreography down pat. With black hair, close to looking like Conan. arts.
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Post by attilaman66 on Mar 17, 2021 18:20:54 GMT -5
Regardless of anyone’s opinion on what REH meant regarding Conan’s physical look I think we all can agree that we will see a man that has spent a considerable amount of time in the gym and not an arm wrestling table. Henry Cavill does look impressive, but imho he lacks the “powerful” looking body. This guy that was in “Creed” does in fact have a look of power without the bodybuilder look to him. Just my opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2021 1:27:08 GMT -5
I dunno, I think Conan should look dangerous, a little like Kemp's description, and I acknowledge what BlackHeart and Megatron are saying, the actor will need to spend some time in the gym for the role, he's gotta look good.
I think for the series to do well they have to keep away from the generic bare chested barbarian in a fur loin-cloth in this series hacking his way through the Hyborian Age. That is what REH's Conan has become through the comics, games, movies and cartoons since the death of Robert E. Howard. We need to see a cunning, intelligent and yeah, physically imposing Cimmerian roaming the world and through his eyes observe the the faults and fragility of civilisation. We need a modern, sophisticated version of REH's creation on the screen, in the original yarns Civilisation does have an effect on the Cimmerian, and I find a sadness in the character in his later years; he can not go back to Cimmeria, but will eventually abandon Aquilonia once his job is done. There is soo much to work on concerning the attributes of Conan's personality. We could never be like Conan, but the audience needs to relate to the character or the series will fail!
They need to know what adaptations would work and sometimes combine some yarns that cover the same territory - we don't want to be bombarded by lost cities, resurrected wizards, and numerous Slave-girls and Princesses saved by Conan every week or season. I think this is a really good opportunity for the creators to really introduce a relevant, modern interpretation of the Cimmerian and his world on screen. But, they should not go back to the generic bare chested barbarian in a fur loin-cloth in this series hacking his way through the Hyborian Age.
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Post by kemp on Mar 18, 2021 3:19:56 GMT -5
I agree with parts of the above posts, the 'Creed' guy might be able to pull it off, seems agile and strong from the combination of boxing training and gym work. Many people think Conan should look like Arnie cause of the CtB and CtD films from the 80's. Arnie kind of made it work, and I have read that he incorporated stretching exercises in his routine, and was critical of those just doing the weights and becoming too bulky, but not doing enough of the flexibility moves, he understood that. When REH wrote Conan they didn't have athletes using supplements, steroids and other fake shit to augment the natural training, nothing overt in any case. Conan was a warrior on the move, not some power lifter, although he had amazing strength, that character reflected the fighters of REH's time. The athletic standards of the time for strong would have included heavyweight champions like Dempsey. Primo Carnera, Italian boxer and wrestler, heavyweight champion in 1933 and 1934, tall guy at 6 ft 6 inches, he obviously worked out, but he looked like a fighter, not a 24/7 body builder. Carnera on the right.
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Post by Char-Vell on Mar 18, 2021 8:21:44 GMT -5
I dunno, I think Conan should look dangerous, a little like Kemp's description, and I acknowledge what BlackHeart and Megatron are saying, the actor will need to spend some time in the gym for the role, he's gotta look good. I think for the series to do well they have to keep away from the generic bare chested barbarian in a fur loin-cloth in this series hacking his way through the Hyborian Age. That is what REH's Conan has become through the comics, games, movies and cartoons since the death of Robert E. Howard. We need to see a cunning, intelligent and yeah, physically imposing Cimmerian roaming the world and through his eyes observe the the faults and fragility of civilisation. We need a modern, sophisticated version of REH's creation on the screen, in the original yarns Civilisation does have an effect on the Cimmerian, and I find a sadness in the character in his later years; he can not go back to Cimmeria, but will eventually abandon Aquilonia once his job is done. There is soo much to work on concerning the attributes of Conan's personality. We could never be like Conan, but the audience needs to relate to the character or the series will fail! They need to know what adaptations would work and sometimes combine some yarns that cover the same territory - we don't want to be bombarded by lost cities, resurrected wizards, and numerous Slave-girls and Princesses saved by Conan every week or season. I think this is a really good opportunity for the creators to really introduce a relevant, modern interpretation of the Cimmerian and his world on screen. But, they should not go back to the generic bare chested barbarian in a fur loin-cloth in this series hacking his way through the Hyborian Age. Agreed. A series format would almost require the use of a more "literary" Conan to stay interesting. we need and actor who can deliver the goods dramatiacally as well as physically. I'd like to see Conan dressed appropriately for his environs as well, as in the stories. it make sense from a marketing standpoint too, one could flood the collector's market with various Conan figures in different outfits.
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Post by kemp on Mar 19, 2021 2:26:18 GMT -5
It's about presence.
Anyone seen Charles Bronson in Hard Times from 1975, he plays a drifter who travels to Louisiana during the Great Depression and begins competing in illegal bare-knuckled boxing matches. He could work tough and dangerous, and he was only 5' 9".
Netflix also needs to translate REH's nihilistic vision of civilisation in the series.
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Post by kemp on Mar 20, 2021 8:38:15 GMT -5
Talking about boxing, REH would have also received seminal influence by the prize fighters of his time in creating the the Hyborian Age Conan, think heavyweight champion of the 1920's Jack Dempsey. In his late teens he would sometimes make money by visiting saloons and challenging fights for money, he was also a part time bodyguard. He was about 6 ft 1 inches, 13 and half stone. Using an approach that generated strength in his punches and stances, he frequently beat guys much bigger than him. This guy probably would have taken out Arnie and other body builders much bigger than him. For Conan I would choose a naturally jacked up version of Dempsey, someone who could choreograph a fight scene over some seven foot body builder who lumbers about and swings a sword likes its a club. That's the other thing, Conan wasn't seven foot, probably a little over six foot tall. Something else to consider when looking for someone to play Conan in a series.
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Post by kemp on Mar 20, 2021 8:56:29 GMT -5
Conan's world needs to be dark grim, unfair and very violent, not just a polished action fest for video gamers.
A 1932 letter to H. P. Lovecraft, in which Howard described a boxing match he was involved in.
'Looking back over a none-too-lengthy and prosaic life, I can easily pick out what seemed—and still seems—the peak of my life to date; that is, the point at which I derived the highest thrills—a word which my limited vocabulary causes me to overwork... when I look for the peak of my exultation, I find it on a sweltering, breathless midnight when I fought a black-haired tiger of an Oklahoma drifter in an abandoned ice-vault, in a stifling atmosphere laden with tobacco smoke and the reek of sweat and rot-gut whiskey—and blood; with a gang of cursing, blaspheming oil-field roughnecks for an audience. Even now, the memory of that battle stirs the sluggish blood in my fat-laden tissues. There was nothing about it calculated to advance art, science of anything else. It was a bloody, brutal merciless brawl. We fought for fully an hour—until neither of us could fight for any longer, and we reeled against each other, gasping incoherent curses through battered lips. There was not even an excuse for it. We were fighting, not because there was a quarrel between us, but simply to see who was the best man. Yet I repeat that I get more real pleasure out of remembering that fight than I could possibly get out of contemplating the greatest work of art ever accomplished, or seeing the greatest drama ever enacted, or hearing the greatest song ever sung.'
There are other themes that the series needs to capture, such as REH's view on the decay of civilisation and concept of individualism, themes clearly evident in Howard's Conan stories.
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