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Post by BlackHeart on Feb 2, 2016 18:46:55 GMT -5
Yes, my friend, I said ... Do not get me wrong, I love Tolkien and genre, but it is enough !!! We had a decade and a half of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Harry Potter and others, it is time for the world to turn to something less fairy-tale and more real and primal. The result is that the J.K.Rouling has an army of fans and that Tolkin (however good it is) the pinnacle of epic fantasy and that without his name on the film there is no success.
What about the man who started it all? What about the works of REH and of what he created? I want to see the real story, intended for adult and serious audience, to see the man against man, the lone outlaws fighting for their place under the sun, loyal to their barbaric code, and that bloody showdown with anti order who falsely called himselves an order.
I want to see the strength, I want to see blood and defiance and tears and sweat, I want to see passion, and above all want to see the reality and fatality of a world that deserves attention equally and perhaps even more then Middle-earth.
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matsellah
Wanderer
Viceroy of Kambuja
Varnishing the floor with brains
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Post by matsellah on Feb 24, 2016 1:56:49 GMT -5
Here-Here! Well-said!
The irony of Hollywood is that it is now utterly devoid of creativity and the current treatment du jour to 'reboot' a classic work (relatively) and then proclaim yourself a film genius. The rampant narcissism prevents them from translating a novel without dabbling in some vain effort to make themselves relevant.
The general movie audience is so starved for distraction, they're paying to see the nth iteration of a teenager in a red & blue leotard while filmmakers move ever farther from literary masterworks that would blow people away, if properly translated to the screen.
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Post by valeriaspirit on Apr 1, 2016 5:45:57 GMT -5
Hi, All -
I am eagerly anticipating the new Conan film.
One of the producers (not Arnie) has implied that they will be ignoring Conan the Destroyer and the 2011 Conan the Barbarian (which in my view is pretty much a blessing). And he expressed admiration for John Milius' version in the 1982 film, which made it sound that they won't be too concerned to make him more faithful to the REH Conan. John Milius, in the commentary track on the BluRay disc, noted that he was not a particular fan of Conan, that it was Oliver Stone (he of Platoon and JFK fame) who was a real fan of Howard's Conan and who wrote the first draft of a script for Conan the Barbarian. Milius then took over and wrote the final draft as well as directing the film. Now, although I agree that in many respects Arnie's Conan wasn't Howard's Conan, I think he was archetypal in his own way. They did use important elements from the Howard universe, somewhat the geography and many characters and individual incidents. One of the things that most resonated with me was Conan's discovery of his sword in the Atlantean ruler's tomb. There was also Conan's crucifixion, but in general Milius took his inspiration from here, there and everywhere; witness that Thulsa Doom's name came from a Kull story. But the idea of the cult of Set is certainly Howardesque. The producer (whose name I can probably dig up with a bit of digging) said that the idea is to make this film Arnie's "Unforgiven," and that it will draw at least in part on the arc of his own life. Regarding the possible title change to Conan the Conqueror, if you watch the video of Arnie's interview, it does seem more that he was citing Conan's status at the beginning of the film as a conqueror, rather than that necessarily reflecting a title change. So it may still be entitled The Legend of Conan.
(That point was made by a commenter on the Arnie Fans website; I re-watched the video and was inclined to agree with him).
I do feel that they took Howard's Conan as more of a model for the 2011 Conan, and look where that got them! UGH! :-(
I know that Arnold's recent films have pretty much bombed; however, that may get down to the fact that they are pretty lame films. I watched about 15 min. of Terminator Genisys on Netflix recently, and that was about all I could stand. What a sorry retread that was! Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (another UGH!) In such a case, a mature Arnie could not himself save it. If, however, he is on board a project with sufficient funding, with a wonderful script (as Milius' Barbarian was), with top-notch supporting cast and crew, as was certainly true of the 1982 Conan, and if all concerned treat this film with sincerity and earnestness (which, however, can be leavened with occasional flashes of humor, as the 1982 film was), I think they can possibly create a blockbuster. It would truly be nice to have this be a foundation for an ongoing series (in my view). But there is the problem that, if you bring in another, younger character, like Conan's son, who might take over for subsequent films, well, that won't be *Conan*. So, perhaps the best thing from the fans' point of view would be to start over with a new reboot - which has the potential to be more faithful to Howard. Maybe? (We can only wish.)
The problem there is - who do you get who could do justice to the Conan character? Most actors, after all, are civilized. ;-)
Valeria Spirit
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ironhand
Thief
The Mad Playwright
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Post by ironhand on Apr 2, 2016 4:42:41 GMT -5
Jason Momoa, with his Maori roots, may be the most barbaric actor available.
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Post by wulfhere on Apr 2, 2016 5:01:30 GMT -5
Given the dismal performance of every movie Schwarzenegger has starred in since his comeback I can't see anyone proceeding with the King Conan movie.
As for a reboot, assuming the script is good, there are three people off the top of my head that I think could be possible choices
Jason Momoa (he might not want to go back to it though)
Clive Standen (Rollo from Vikings)
Rory McCann (the Hound on Game of Thrones)
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Post by robp on Apr 2, 2016 7:53:32 GMT -5
You know as much as I like the first CtB as a Sword & Sorcery films (but not so much as a Conan film) I'm beginning to hope they don't make this new one. It's going to be even more of an Arnie vehicle and even less of a REH Conan film as far as I can see.
It baffles me - there are great original stories, we know how good things can look thanks to GofT and so on, yet for soem reason still no decent REH film/TV adaptation on the horzon
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Post by KiramidHead on Apr 2, 2016 10:02:37 GMT -5
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Post by johnnypt on Apr 2, 2016 21:20:59 GMT -5
But it certainly does not sound like it's nearing production in any meaningful way as of yet. |
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Post by valeriaspirit on Apr 3, 2016 5:25:51 GMT -5
The Legend of Conan / Conan the Conqueror (UPDATED! 1-24-16) [from thearnoldfans website]
Has the next Conan film been given a name change? It was announced earlier that the next Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan film be called “The Legend of Conan” but now, straight out of Arnold’s own mouth, he just called it "Conan the Conqueror”! Arnold gave new information about his upcoming film.
"Conan the Conqueror,” says Arnold, "where I’m sitting on the throne for years and years - decades, and then all of the sudden, the time comes when they want to overthrow me. So that story WILL be told and that movie WILL be done."
Interestingly enough, "Conan the Conqueror,” was to be the title given to Arnold's proposed 1987 sequel to his Conan the Destroyer film. TheArnoldFans is thrilled to hear Schwarzenegger give us hope that Conan is still alive and well.
“Yes,” confirms Arnold, “as a matter of fact, it (The Legend of Conan) has been written and we are now looking for directors so this is a serious drive (now for Conan).”
Although Arnold may hit age 69 when filing begins later this year, Schwarzenegger shows no signs of letting age slow him down.
"One of the advantages for when you train every day,” begins Arnold, "when you bicycle everyday, when you work out every day is that age is not registering in the body the same with everyone else. Because when you stay in shape, you do turn back the clock. So I feel great and the last few movies that I’ve done, I’ve done many of my own stunts. I did all the physical stuff and it didn’t wipe me out and I have plenty of energy and feel really terrific. So I am absolutely convinced that I can do the Conan movie and do the horseback riding, the sword fights and all the fighting.”
Arnold’s closing remarks of his readiness for Conan was being drown out in cheers as Conan remains Arnold Schwarzenegger’s longest running biggest fan-anticipated project!
We also heard from Legend of Conan producer Frederick Malmberg:
Yes, Chris Morgan and I are meeting with directors at this moment. Interest is high, many are fans of Conan but we are not rushing. We have a great script and now we need the right director for the job.
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Post by valeriaspirit on Apr 4, 2016 8:49:25 GMT -5
Jason Momoa, with his Maori roots, may be the most barbaric actor available. Hi, Ironhand - Physically I agree that Jason seems to resemble REH's Conan more closely than Arnie, whom I think comes from the Neandertaler branch of the family. :-) That said, of course, his long hair was not precisely in Howard's vision, who described a square-cut mane (with bangs and not reaching his shoulders in the back, I believe), but that would be easy to change. But facially, unfortunately, I think Momoa looks more thuggish, and although Conan may have been a barbarian, I wouldn't describe him as a thug. My (admittedly vague) memory of him in the 2011 film doesn't bring to mind a very intelligent actor. What Arnie has of course is a physique that doesn't quit (in fact has had me searching YouTube for his old videos - pant, drool! :-)) and, in addition, he is surprisingly deft in his best roles in adding special little touches (and sometimes big touches) that make him special to watch. I think it's called "star quality." The Rock mightn't be too bad, but, yes, he's got a sort of manufactured quality (slick) to my mind. Someone else mentioned someone named "Triple X" (I presume that's another wrestler) that he/she thought would make a better successor to Arnie. So that's part of the reason I hope the film gets made, as a fitting swan song for Arnie's conception of Conan, and that somehow they can find that awesome hunk who would look like the guy depicted in Conan's stories to portray the Barbarian in a new cycle of films which aim to be more faithful to REH. Does anyone know of any Irish/Scottish/Welsh actors who would fit the bill physically and also happen to be awesomely talented? Valeria Spirit |
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ironhand
Thief
The Mad Playwright
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Post by ironhand on Apr 5, 2016 6:28:25 GMT -5
Jason Momoa, with his Maori roots, may be the most barbaric actor available. Hi, Ironhand - Physically I agree that Jason seems to resemble REH's Conan more closely than Arnie, whom I think comes from the Neandertaler branch of the family. :-) That said, of course, his long hair was not precisely in Howard's vision, who described a square-cut mane (with bangs and not reaching his shoulders in the back, I believe), but that would be easy to change. But facially, unfortunately, I think Momoa looks more thuggish, and although Conan may have been a barbarian, I wouldn't describe him as a thug. My (admittedly vague) memory of him in the 2011 film doesn't bring to mind a very intelligent actor. What Arnie has of course is a physique that doesn't quit (in fact has had me searching YouTube for his old videos - pant, drool! :-)) and, in addition, he is surprisingly deft in his best roles in adding special little touches (and sometimes big touches) that make him special to watch. I think it's called "star quality." The Rock mightn't be too bad, but, yes, he's got a sort of manufactured quality (slick) to my mind. Someone else mentioned someone named "Triple X" (I presume that's another wrestler) that he/she thought would make a better successor to Arnie. So that's part of the reason I hope the film gets made, as a fitting swan song for Arnie's conception of Conan, and that somehow they can find that awesome hunk who would look like the guy depicted in Conan's stories to portray the Barbarian in a new cycle of films which aim to be more faithful to REH. Does anyone know of any Irish/Scottish/Welsh actors who would fit the bill physically and also happen to be awesomely talented? Valeria Spirit Paul Telfer? |
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Post by valeriaspirit on Apr 6, 2016 16:53:45 GMT -5
I took a quick look on YouTube and see that Paul Telfer portrayed Hercules in a 2005 TV mini-series. And - he is gorgeous! Maybe a little too pretty for Conan, but they might be able to grunge him up a bit, and of course he's now 10 years older than he was there. And his build is fabulous! Is he a good actor? I don't think I've ever seen him in anything. There is a complete copy of Hercules on YouTube, in one of the Romance languages, so I couldn't understand the dialogue, but the visuals look really interesting, and it has an excellent cast, including Elizabeth Perkins. Perhaps it was a European production? It certainly looks more intriguing than most American TV.
One of the avatars on this board reminds me of Jack Palance, and the thought occurred to me that years ago, he could have been a wonderful Conan. He did portray Vlad Dracula, I think also for a made-for-TV movie, bringing out Vlad's history as a great military commander who fought the Turks. Palance I believe was Ukrainian, not Celtic/Gaelic, but I think he had a strong aura of sheer masculine charisma.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2016 17:20:47 GMT -5
One of the avatars on this board reminds me of Jack Palance, and the thought occurred to me that years ago, he could have been a wonderful Conan. He did portray Vlad Dracula, I think also for a made-for-TV movie, bringing out Vlad's history as a great military commander who fought the Turks. Palance I believe was Ukrainian, not Celtic/Gaelic, but I think he had a strong aura of sheer masculine charisma. Hello Valeriaspirit, I agree, Jack Palance would have been a great Conan. He definitely could have portrayed Conan, he had the wild look about him, he had the charisma, he could act as well, and was incredibly athletic. He was Ukrainian, but I think he must have some Turko-Mongol ancestors. How else can you explain those cheekbones? |
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Post by valeriaspirit on Apr 7, 2016 9:18:57 GMT -5
One of the avatars on this board reminds me of Jack Palance, and the thought occurred to me that years ago, he could have been a wonderful Conan. He did portray Vlad Dracula, I think also for a made-for-TV movie, bringing out Vlad's history as a great military commander who fought the Turks. Palance I believe was Ukrainian, not Celtic/Gaelic, but I think he had a strong aura of sheer masculine charisma. Hello Valeriaspirit, I agree, Jack Palance would have been a great Conan. He definitely could have portrayed Conan, he had the wild look about him, he had the charisma, he could act as well, and was incredibly athletic. He was Ukrainian, but I think he must have some Turko-Mongol ancestors. How else can you explain those cheekbones? You've got a point! And of course nationality doesn't necessarily say anything about one's genetics. Yes, besides Palance's super-macho early roles (didn't he play Genghis Khan, or someone similar? OK, I just looked at Palance's filmography on imdb.com, and he played Attila the Hun in Sign of the Pagan in 1954 and Ogatai in The Mongols in 1961), and then playing a creditable Dracula in a TV movie in 1974 (although differing in character greatly from the two major interpretations of the Lugosi vampire and the Nosferatu vampire), and finally he had the joyful (and rare opportunity for an older actor) to create the positively scary "Curly" in City Slickers in 1991 (for which he won the Best Supporting Oscar). And then either that year or the year after, when he was introduced at the Academy Awards, he came onstage and performed a bunch of one-armed pushups - when he was in his early 70's!!! Also, although no one surpassed him for sheer evil onscreen, imho, I think he was capable of creating a sympathetic character. I think he could have created a natural barbarian - "This is what I am, take me or leave me, I don't care." Which sort of begs the question (in my mind, anyway) - when did they first start to think about a Conan film? Also btw, and I guess sort of On Topic for this thread - Isn't REH's Conan now in the public domain? I thought copyright only lasted for a maximum of 70 years, although, admittedly, I'm not up on what the current state of copyright law is. If I'm right, the only things that would be protected by copyright now would be the original Conan material created within the last 70 years. And I think that also means that someone (not necessarily authorized) could produce Conan material without getting a license from Conan Properties if they restricted themselves solely to Howard's original stories. Anyone help me with that? Valeria Spirit |
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Post by johnnypt on Apr 7, 2016 9:57:33 GMT -5
Which sort of begs the question (in my mind, anyway) - when did they first start to think about a Conan film? Also btw, and I guess sort of On Topic for this thread - Isn't REH's Conan now in the public domain? I thought copyright only lasted for a maximum of 70 years, although, admittedly, I'm not up on what the current state of copyright law is. If I'm right, the only things that would be protected by copyright now would be the original Conan material created within the last 70 years. And I think that also means that someone (not necessarily authorized) could produce Conan material without getting a license from Conan Properties if they restricted themselves solely to Howard's original stories. Anyone help me with that? Valeria Spirit There are lawyers who'll chime in with better specifics, but I think the way things are legally is that the stories are in the public domain but the character is not. See the thread for Iron Shadows to see what happened when someone just tried to do what you mentioned at the end.
I believe Conan wasn't really thought about as a film property until the success of the comics in the mid to late 70s. I think the first hints of what would become Conan the Barbarian started showing up around 1978.
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