Conan the Barbarianhas been the subject of multiple films, television, andvideo game projectssince debuting in the series of fantasy stories by pulp fiction author Robert E. Howard. Decades after Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed the character in 1982’sConan the Barbarian,the sword and sorcery hero will return to the screen in a live-action television series being developed byNetflix.
The Conan the Barbarianseries is the first project ina deal between Netflixand Conan Properties International, the company owned by Fredrik Malmberg’s Cabinet Entertainment. Under the terms of the deal, Netflix has the exclusive option to acquire the rights to the library of writtenConanworks to develop live-action and animated projects for film and television.
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Deadline reports Malmberg and Mark Wheeler will serve as executive producers on theConanseries through their Pathfinder Media. The search for a showrunner to pen scripts for the series and a director to helm episodes is currently underway. Netflix’s decision to put theConanseries into the development is just the latest addition to the streaming service’s growling list of projects based on literary characters. Previously acquired IP includeRoald Dahl’s novels, C. S. Lewis’The Chronicles of Narniastories,andMark Millar’sMillarworld comics.
Howard’s series ofConan the Barbarianstories were first published in Weird Tales magazine in 1932 and followed the warrior’s exploits in the fictional time period known as the Hyborian Age. In addition to the aforementionedSchwarzenegger filmand its sequel,Conan the Destroyer, the character was the subject of a 2011 reboot in whichAquamanstar Jason Momoa portrayed the title role. The character would also be depicted on television in the animated showsConan the AdventurerandConan and the Young Warriorswhile a live-actionAdventurerseries would begin a short-lived run in 1997.
Considering the terms of Netflix’s deal with Conan Properties International, theConanseries could be the first of multiple projects set in the same universe. While Conan may not have as much of a screen presence as he did in the past, the character has proven to be popular inMarvel Comicsafter the company regained the comic publishing rights to the character.
Now, the fan-casting for Conan will likely begin, setting up expectations for the role even before a showrunner has been selected. Still, it may be hard for fans of the character to imagine anyone besides Schwarzenegger in the iconic role.
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