The long-rumored Conan the Barbarian reboot series just got a definitively devastating update from its director. Most are familiar with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chiseled portrayal of the hero in the 1982 film, but Conan the Barbarian is actually based on a string of short stories from Robert E. Howard. The film was remade in 2011 with Jason Momoa taking on the lead role, and there was reported to even a TV series reboot in the works for years. Robert Rodriguez, best known for his work on the Spy Kids franchise, was even attached as a director, but the project has reportedly been scrapped for now. Rodriguez recently sat down with Joe Rogan for an episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, and he provided an update on the show, even going as far as to say what led to its demise:
“Netflix had it. I went and pitched it to them. And they then… they let the rights lapse. Sometimes it’s too much baggage for a character.”
He also provided his thoughts on the history of the Conan franchise thus far, weighing on on what he thinks is the best iteration of the character so far:
“No one has captured the spirit of Conan from the books yet.”
Although Rodriguez never got the chance to make the Conan the Barbarian reboot series, he’s still been extremely busy the last few years. He most recently directed Spy Kids: Armageddon, the Netflix original reboot of his classic Spy Kids franchise. He also teamed up with Ben Affleck for Hypnotic, the 2023 R-rated sci-fi thriller, but the film flew mostly under the radar after receiving middling reviews and grossing only $16 million against a $70 million budget. He also helmed three episodes of The Book of Boba Fett, not long after he directed an episode of The Mandalorian.
Which ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Movie Is Better’?
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Conan the Barbarian movie is universally regarded as a better film adaptation that’s more faithful to the source material. The original film earned solid scores of 67% from critics and 74% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, which stand well above its successor. Momoa’s iteration landed with equally abysmal scores of 25% from critics and 30% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of Momoa’s lowest-rated movies in both categories. One of the biggest criticisms of Jason Momoa’s version is the bland performances, and also the lack of epic feel that’s so present in Schwarzenegger’s version. Somehow, Momoa and director Marcus Nispel made a Conan the Barbarian movie feel underwhelming.
While the Netflix Conan the Barbarian series is seemingly dead in the water, according to Robert Rodriguez, stay tuned to Collider for more updates and watch the original Conan the Barbarian AMC+.
via Collider