After 42 Years, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Iconic Fantasy Sequel Finally Set to Film!

Last March, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that work on the third Conan the Barbarian movie had officially begun, with Christopher McQuarrie directing. “The producers have just hired a fantastic writer and director who has worked on the last four Tom Cruise movies. They brought him on to write and direct King Conan,” Schwarzenegger revealed during the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus.

“Now they need to write the role, but they’re not going to write it as if I’m 40 years old, it will be adapted to my age. I’m still going to get into the fray and kick some butts, but it’ll be different,” he added, before sharing some details about the upcoming story.

“With King Conan, we have a great story where Conan has been king for 40 years and is forced to leave his kingdom until a conflict brings him back, in a whirlwind of madness, violence, magic, and creatures, among other things. Especially since there are all sorts of special effects these days. The studio has a lot of money to make big movies, so I’m excited.”

Filming in 2027?

In a recent interview with TheArnoldFans, the actor shared more details, mentioning a shoot set for early 2027. According to Schwarzenegger, a sequel that picked up right after the original movies wouldn’t have worked. For him, the real draw is seeing Conan decades later, now a completely different person—older, wiser, and more introspective.

“The movie wouldn’t have worked right after the first Conan because the whole idea of King Conan rests on the fact that he has been ruling for 40 years, he has aged and isn’t as physically dominant as he once was. Now, there are attempts to dethrone him. He is king and he is somewhat resting on his laurels. He is tired of his role and wants to move on. Look at Clint Eastwood’s movie, Unforgiven. It will be quite similar, but with extraordinary battles,” promised the legendary actor of the famous barbarian.

It seems that the project is finally on the right track! “Next year, we are shooting King Conan. It’s now a reality and I’m thrilled. For 10 years, I’ve been saying: We need to make King Conan, find an excellent script, someone who truly understands Robert E. Howard [author of the Conan books], and continue the adventure. I’d love it if John Milius, the director of the first Conan, could perhaps be the producer. It would be really fantastic,” Schwarzenegger concluded.

A Long-Awaited Sequel

To say that fans have been waiting for this sequel is an understatement. It has been over 42 years since they last saw the aging king, hinted at in the final scenes of Conan the Destroyer, where the hero appeared old, solitary, and majestic on his throne.

Since then, the project has become a true Hollywood legend, buried under a mountain of abandoned scripts, false starts, and failed productions. Among them, Conan the Conqueror, planned as early as 1987, was meant to mark the grand return of the Cimmerian… before it completely fell through.

Partly to blame was Arnold Schwarzenegger who, free from contractual obligations and still stung by the failure of Red Sonja, chose to turn away from the barbarian to hunt an alien creature in Predator, a decision he likely never regretted.

Later, director John Milius attempted to resurrect his project in the early 2000s with the Wachowskis scripting, but Schwarzenegger’s election as the governor of California halted everything. Jason Momoa later took on the role in a forgettable remake, and the sequel project with Arnold was shelved… until today!

And this time, it seems to be the real deal! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that nothing comes to derail the project once more. At 78 years old, this might be Schwarzenegger’s last chance to return as the famous Cimmerian barbarian.

At AlloCiné, enjoy daily over 40 articles covering the latest in movies and series, interviews, streaming recommendations, quirky and cinephile anecdotes about your favorite films and series. Subscribing to AlloCiné on Google Discover ensures you explore the richness of a site designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts every day.