It’s been a few decades since Arnold Schwarzenegger took on the role of Conan the Barbarian, and it appears that he still remains hopeful to one day return to the franchise. In an exclusive interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the actor expressed that talks of a new Conan film have been previously underway, but development remains on hiatus due to the story’s copyright status.

“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,” he said. However, Schwarzenegger expressed hope that the sequel would eventually happen, with several talents wishing to join the project. “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,” he added.

While some legacy sequels tend to receive mixed results, there’s no denying the popularity and attention they receive, with the most recent example being Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. With a rich legacy and powerful impact on the actor’s career, Conan the Barbarian perfectly lends itself to a revisit from Schwarzenegger, which was previously teased in 2012 with the announcement of The Legend of Conan. The film would have focused on the legendary character in his last days, but no further progress on the project ever came to be, and to this day remains in development hell.

Conan the Barbarian Remains a Classic of its Genre

Based on the classic stories by Robert E. Howard, Conan the Barbarian remains one of Schwarzenegger’s most iconic performances that helped kickstart his career as the biggest action star of the ’80s and ’90s. The actor last took on the role of the character in 1984 with the release of Conan the Destroyer. Despite several attempts at a third film, the franchise ultimately received a reboot in 2011 with the release of a remake of the same name starring Jason Momoa. However, the film was met with a negative critical reception and became a box office flop, putting the franchise in limbo once again. Despite this, Conan remains one of the most iconic characters in literature, and it will only be a matter of time before he makes a triumphant comeback to the big screen.

With the film still in its development stage, no official word yet on if a third Conan film will be underway.

via Collider