Netflix Is Creating a ‘Conan the Barbarian’ TV Show
When people think of Conan the Barbarian, either Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jason Momoa come to mind. First brought to the big screen in the ’80s, the warrior epic turned Schwarzenegger into a Hollywood star, marking his big entry into the action genre.
In 2011, Momoa played the hero in a reboot but the movie tanked at the box office, dashing hopes of reigniting a franchise. But Conan is now on his way back.
‘Conan’ tv series heading to Netflix
Netflix continues its roll into the realm of nostalgic revivals, this time with Conan the Barbarian, the Destroyer, the all-around pop culture figure. According to Deadline, the streamer has exclusive access to rights to the character for TV and film productions with plans to turn Conan into a live-action series.
The first project is in the early stages and the production team is seeking a writer and showrunner. While Netflix is home to another sword and sorcery series with The Witcher, Conan is a beloved property that speaks to fans of ’80s fantasy epics.
Renowned writer/director Oliver Stone co-wrote the adapted story for the original 1982 film, working alongside the film’s director/writer John Milius. In a documentary for The Making of Conan the Barbarian, Stone said that his original intention was to set up a saga over the course of 12 movies, similar to the James Bond franchise where the character returns every few years.
Stone and the rest of the team behind the first set of movie drew heavily from the comic books and art by Frank Frazetta.
This version of ‘Conan’ could be based on the comics
Conan has been around since 1970. The character was created by Robert E. Howard and made his debut in the Marvel comic book world with stories penned by Roy Thomas. According to CBR, Marvel licensed the rights for Conan from Howard’s estate after Thomas persuaded Marvel’s brass it’d be a good idea.
Howard published Conan’s stories in Weird Tales during the 1930s and is essentially credited for creating the modern swords and magic genre.
Before the famous hero and his crew of friends and foes went to Marvel, Conan the Barbarian found himself in the pages of his first novel, Conan the Conqueror, sometime after Howard’s death in 1936. The character has a long history in literature and adaptations.
Per Deadline, Netflix has rights to the Conan “literary library” which likely includes Howard’s works as well as those published at Marvel. Between 1970 and 2019, the comic book giant put out multiple iterations of the character.
Though Netflix has not issued a formal press release, some fans are already hoping that the streamer is open to leaning more heavily on the early Conan stories and drawings. And although Red Sonja belongs to a different owner, some are wishing that she makes an appearance in this new series.
Until this comes to fruition, viewers can stream the OG Conan the Barbarian film via Starz, Amazon, YouTube, Apple TV, or Vudu.
