Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants To Make One More Conan Movie In The Style Of Unforgiven

The 1982 fantasy epic "Conan the Barbarian" is a silly but fun flick filled with swords, sorcery, and sandals, and it signaled the beginning of star Arnold Schwarzenegger's decades-long career as an action star. The movie received mixed reviews at the time but has gone on to be a bit of a cult classic, in part because of the love for the overall "Conan" franchise, which started with Robert E. Howard's "Conan" stories. Schwarzenegger plays the title character, a barbarian out for revenge after the deaths of his parents, and he would reprise the role in the 1984 sequel, "Conan the Destroyer." The role is kind of perfect for Schwarzenegger, playing a buff and brutal warrior with natural charisma but not a lot of dialogue, putting him on the map and introducing audiences everywhere to the Hyborian Age.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter while promoting his upcoming Netflix series, "FUBAR," Schwarzenegger revealed that he's longed to play Conan one more time in "Legend of Conan," a sequel that would use his advanced age as a part of the plot. The idea of an "Old Conan" movie is pretty cool and would potentially pave the way for more stories in the same universe, but unfortunately there's one big problem that continues to keep the film from happening: who owns the rights.

When asked about "The Legend of Conan," which has been "pending" for some time, Arnold Schwarzenegger was candid:

"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. 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."

Malmberg is the executive producer behind the 2011 "Conan" reboot starring Jason Momoa, which was supposed to have a sequel penned by the star that ultimately went nowhere. He's the president of Heroic Signatures/Conan Properties, in charge of the entire "Conan" franchise, which extends to comic books, board games, and video games. (Hot tip: the game "Conan: Exiles" is a must-play for any "Conan" fan, whether you prefer yours 1982 style or 2011 style!) While that means we've gotten a lot of great "Conan" content over the years, we haven't seen another "Conan" movie, let alone one with Schwarzenegger back in the starring role. Maybe they can work something out and he can sell the rights for just one movie so we can see Schwarzenegger swing a sword around one last time.

A "Conan the Barbarian" movie where Arnold Schwarzenegger either passes the torch to a new barbarian or goes out on his own terms, à la "Logan," would be truly amazing. The 1982 film may not be a masterpiece, but it is an audacious and wildly entertaining fantasy film that helped launch the career of one of cinema's greatest action stars.

According to Schwarzenegger, John Milius, who co-wrote the original film with Oliver Stone, has written a script for a sequel, which brings another layer of authenticity and "getting the band back together" that could make the film that much more interesting. Not only that, but special effects and other filmmaking technology have come a long way since 1982, and some of the more fantastical aspects of the Hyborian universe could be done now when they were impossible before. If people are stoked about the "Dune" films, then who's to say that a new "Conan" with an old star might not inspire the same excitement? 

I guess I'll just have to say a prayer to Crom, even though he doesn't exactly have a great track record with answering. C'mon, Crom, we want more Conan!