Brett Ratner commits to 'Conan'
Chooses barbarians over Axel Foley
By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit
Nov 8, 2008, 12:08 AM ET
Who would you rather spend a year with: Axel Foley or Conan the Cimmerian?
This has been director Brett Ratner's dilemma for the past few weeks, as he weighed two high-profile projects: Paramount's fourth installment of the "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise and a 21st century take on "Conan" co-produced by Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate Films.
By the end of Friday, Ratner had made his choice. He has committed to take on literature's most famous barbarian and is in final negotiations to helm the picture, which is aiming for a release in early 2010. Eddie Murphy and the Pointer Sisters will have to wait.
Ratner jived to the "Conan" script by Gersh-repped Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly, who looked to Robert E. Howard's original pulp stories of the 1930s to create their take on the character. The writers are doing a quick polish to incorporate some of Ratner's ideas.
Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films are producing, along with Paradox Entertainment president and CEO Fredrik Malmberg.
Meanwhile, Paramount -- eyeing the successful fourth-installment resurrections of the long-dormant "Die Hard" and "Indiana Jones" franchises -- has been gunning to get Detroit's funniest cop back on the streets for a summer 2010 release with Ratner behind the camera. Much-wanted "Wanted" scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas recently turned in a script so the filmmakers could take advantage of a small scheduling window open for perpetually-working star Murphy.
Ratner will remain involved with the development of "BHC IV."
As for the brawny brigand, Millennium and Lionsgate are eyeing a potential franchise and envision a very R-rated approach in the $85 million budget range. Preproduction is under way for a shoot at Nu Image's Nu Boyana Studio in Bulgaria.
"The story opens on the battlefield where Conan is born and tells the origin story that sets the stage for what will be the first of multiple films," Lerner said. "This is a coup for Millennium Films and proves that our choice of projects and material is attracting much higher-profile directors and actors."
Oliver Stone and John Milius wrote the surly fictional thief's first screen incarnation, "Conan the Barbarian," which Milius also directed in 1982. A jokier, less blood-and-boob-heavy sequel, "Conan the Destroyer," destroyed the character's franchise chances in 1984 by aiming for a PG-13 rating.
Oppenheimer and Donnelly also wrote "Sahara" and "A Sound of Thunder," and they have "Airborn" in development at Universal, with Stephen Sommers attached to direct.
Ratner, repped by CAA, most recently directed "Rush Hour 3" and "X-Men: The Last Stand."