"Conan the Barbarian" TV Series in development for Netflix

[Kaleb]

Conan the Barbarian TV Series From Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik & Warren Littlefield In Works At Amazon

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon is developing drama series Conan, based on the books by Robert E. Howard, Deadline has learned. The project hails from Colony co-creator Ryan Condal, Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, Fargo and The Handmaid’s Tale executive producer Warren Littlefield, Pathfinder Media and Endeavor Content.



Created and written by Condal, Conan retells the classic character’s story via a return to his literary origins. Driven out of his tribal homelands, Conan wanders the mysterious and treacherous world of civilization where he searches for purpose in a place that rejects him as a mindless savage.

Condal executive produces with Sapochnik, who will direct, and Littlefield. Fredrik Malmberg and Mark Wheeler will also executive produce via their Pathfinder Media banner with Endeavor Content as the studio.

The project falls into Amazon’s push into big, fantasy/genre drama series with broad appeal in the mold of Game of Thrones, which is exemplified by the company’s recent big bet on a Lord of the Rings TV series.

 

[Roose Bolton]

This property with that line up of creative talent. Yes. Yes....Amazon, you have me, now and always.

 

[terry78]

Amazon is rolling in more money than Netflix. They can make it look good.

 

[Doctor Jones]

They'd be better served doing this than LOTR. They have an opportunity here to really make this their own thing and their GOT.

 

[TheVileOne]

Interesting and better than attempting to make a new Conan movie again. Hope this is a chance to see some never before seen Conan stories and characters properly adapted onscreen.

Though not sure the Conan character will fly with today's crowd. That said, I'm interested to see what they come up with.

Any suggestions for who would make a good Conan in a modern TV series?

 

[rogue trooper]

Interesting and better than attempting to make a new Conan movie again. Hope this is a chance to see some never before seen Conan stories and characters properly adapted onscreen.

Yep, this is the route that's been in long await, much like with Judge Dredd.

Though not sure the Conan character will fly with today's crowd. That said, I'm interested to see what they come up with.

I think Conan is a character that can be as engaging to a modern viewer who watches Vikings and Black Sails. We'll see.

Any suggestions for who would make a good Conan in a modern TV series?

Ah, here we go!

Taylor James(Samson)

Clive Standen(Vikings)

 

[Roose Bolton]

I'd second Clive Standen.

Though not sure the Conan character will fly with today's crowd.

Considering that they've taken to most of GRRM's ASOIAF characters I doubt Conan will be too much for audiences. When you have someone like Sandor Glegane embraced by the GA, Conan's easy.

 

[Aximili86]

**** this.

I want 70 year old "King Conan" Ahnuld.

Not even being facetious here. Heh. But yeah, a GoT tone Conan would be cool. I do hope they take it a little less seriously though, bring a bit of the fun camp too. Thrones gets so far up its own ***hole.

 

[TheVileOne]

I'd rather they not go full on Game of Thrones because that's not really Conan the Barbarian. I still want that pulp adventure style. IMHO, I think the Busiek Dark Horse comic series at least the earlier ones was a solid reinvention of Conan the Barbarian that also took cues from the original stories and still had that pulp adventure feel of Howard's tales.

 

[TheVileOne]

Yep, this is the route that's been in long await, much like with Judge Dredd.



I think Conan is a character that can be as engaging to a modern viewer who watches Vikings and Black Sails. We'll see.




Ah, here we go!

Taylor James(Samson)

Clive Standen(Vikings)

Has anyone seen Samson yet? And can Taylor James act? I haven't really seen him in anything yet. He's had a bunch of bit parts here and there, but nothing really major until this.

 

[rogue trooper]

Has anyone seen Samson yet? And can Taylor James act? I haven't really seen him in anything yet. He's had a bunch of bit parts here and there, but nothing really major until this.

I haven't seen Samson yet, but from watching the two trailers, James does seem to exude a strong physical presence that really makes me think of Conan, especially in a scene very reminiscent of Frazetta's most popular Conan painting. I guess we'll see how well his acting is when Samson comes out, although I checked that he had done Romeo & Juliet for Branagh Theater Live, so that could be a decent credential.

Anyway, yeah, Conan should be, I think, a little less GOT in a way, and essentially a little more like the structure of Samurai Jack, in the sense that we get to see Conan travel to different parts and meets different characters and danger. For the first season, being Conan's earlier years, I figure we could see such Howard-stories like "Tower of The Elephant", "The Frost Giant's Daughter", "The God In The Bowl" and "Rogues In The House" be adapted.

 

[TheVileOne]

I'd be fine with that as Conan being a bit of this wayward Cimmerian trying to make his way in the world, maybe after his home was destroyed, looking for a fortune or kingdom to call his own. The early Busiek stories followed a similar storyline following a more youthful Conan through stories like The Frost Giant's Daughter.

Or you could go with the Conan Exiles premise, except it's about Conan instead of a player created character.

Basically, I think a Game of Thrones type model for Conan would be a mistake. I think there are definite cues in style and aesthetic you can take inspiration from Game of Thrones, but Conan has always been really unique to me.

 

[Roose Bolton]

I don't really know what you mean when you say "Game of Thrones type model". High end, adult fantasy? Political intrigue? You're not really being clear.

I think when most people talk about Game of Thrones they mean dark, gritty fantasy on a big budget, and following source material with at least a minimum of reverence, which I think fits Conan perfectly.

 

[Aximili86]

While that's all true, Conan has a certain ridiculousness to it too. Sure, the Ahnuld movies play it up more, but the cheesy/hokeyness is there to an extent in the books too. Probably more as a sign of the times it was written rather than anything intentional, it's not quite wink-wink-nudge-nudge, but it does have all that pulpy feel at play.

Which GoT obviously doesn't.

 

[rogue trooper]

I don't really know what you mean when you say "Game of Thrones type model". High end, adult fantasy? Political intrigue? You're not really being clear.

I think when most people talk about Game of Thrones they mean dark, gritty fantasy on a big budget, and following source material with at least a minimum of reverence, which I think fits Conan perfectly.

Speaking for myself, I believe Conan, unlike GOT, should be on a little bit lower-scale as far as fantasy. A bit more Doc Savage-like at heart, where the fantasy elements are kept at a relative minimal measure. More "pulpy" than "grand epic", I suppose. Also, as I've mentioned previously, it should be more about a wandering protagonist ala Samurai Jack or The Man With No Name who ventures to different places and encounters a certain diverse menace, as opposed to one long story-arch.

Now, I most definitely agree that a Conan show should be dark, gritty, faithful to the source material and have a solid budget.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Will this last longer then 1 season?

 

[Iceman]

Props to Amazon for advancing the cause of fantasy in TV with this and LotR.

 

[rogue trooper]

Will this last longer then 1 season?

By Crom, may it happen!

 

[Sawyer]

Not overly familiar with Conan, but I love Condal's work on Colony.

 

[Roose Bolton]

Speaking for myself, I believe Conan, unlike GOT, should be on a little bit lower-scale as far as fantasy. A bit more Doc Savage-like at heart, where the fantasy elements are kept at a relative minimal measure. More "pulpy" than "grand epic", I suppose. Also, as I've mentioned previously, it should be more about a wandering protagonist ala Samurai Jack or The Man With No Name who ventures to different places and encounters a certain diverse menace, as opposed to one long story-arch.

Now, I most definitely agree that a Conan show should be dark, gritty, faithful to the source material and have a solid budget.

Well I'd imagine that should go without saying. You can't really do Robert E Howard's Conan narrative like ASOIAF, which is a (proposed) 7 book series that tells a single story in the vein of Lord of the Rings. But I don't think Game of Thrones is necessarily defined by that, more that it's the asthetic, tone and scale that people think of.

 

[TheVileOne]

I don't really know what you mean when you say "Game of Thrones type model". High end, adult fantasy? Political intrigue? You're not really being clear.

I think when most people talk about Game of Thrones they mean dark, gritty fantasy on a big budget, and following source material with at least a minimum of reverence, which I think fits Conan perfectly.

Game of Thrones tends to deconstruct a lot of classical fantasy narrative elements and tropes. Game of Thrones also has a large revolving cast with multiple lead characters as well, whereas a new Conan show will still likely have a singular protagonist and his supporting cast. Also, Game of Thrones clearly inspired by medieval fantasy, swords, shields, and dragons. Conan is not a medieval fantasy type of setting. Political intrigue, yeah, but I'd also like to see a new TV show still have those pulp adventure elements. I'm not saying saying don't make it high-end or adult or gritty, but I'd still like it to have those sensationalistic elements of the pulp stories.

Speaking for myself, I believe Conan, unlike GOT, should be on a little bit lower-scale as far as fantasy. A bit more Doc Savage-like at heart, where the fantasy elements are kept at a relative minimal measure. More "pulpy" than "grand epic", I suppose. Also, as I've mentioned previously, it should be more about a wandering protagonist ala Samurai Jack or The Man With No Name who ventures to different places and encounters a certain diverse menace, as opposed to one long story-arch.

I think further along it can incorporate some of those grand fantasy type of elements, but at the start I agree it should be more in that style of something like a Doc Savage, Samurai Jack, or The Man With No Name with Conan as a wandering warrior of sorts. Granted, it doesn't have to be that way, but I still want that "pulpy" adventure story style.

 

[rogue trooper]

I think further along it can incorporate some of those grand fantasy type of elements, but at the start I agree it should be more in that style of something like a Doc Savage, Samurai Jack, or The Man With No Name with Conan as a wandering warrior of sorts. Granted, it doesn't have to be that way, but I still want that "pulpy" adventure story style.

I'd be game on some point further down to do something more grand or epic like The Hour of The Dragon and/or maybe also some of the pastiches from Karl Edward Wagner, Andrew Offut, and Roy Thomas.

 

[Roose Bolton]

Game of Thrones tends to deconstruct a lot of classical fantasy narrative elements and tropes. Game of Thrones also has a large revolving cast with multiple lead characters as well, whereas a new Conan show will still likely have a singular protagonist and his supporting cast. Also, Game of Thrones clearly inspired by medieval fantasy, swords, shields, and dragons. Conan is not a medieval fantasy type of setting. Political intrigue, yeah, but I'd also like to see a new TV show still have those pulp adventure elements. I'm not saying saying don't make it high-end or adult or gritty, but I'd still like it to have those sensationalistic elements of the pulp stories.

To take the Game of Thrones approach wouldn't literally mean turning Robert E Howard's Conan into George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Everything you brought up is literally a result of Game of Thrones being an adaptation of that particular source material. The basic model of what HBO did in bringing GRRM's novels to screen (treating the material seriously, giving it the budget it deserves, hiring talented cast and crew, and more or less faithfully adapting the material into a television format) is what is often meant when people make the GoT comparison.

 

[TheVileOne]

To sum it up, I'd like to see a Conan TV series have an identity beyond people calling it Game of Thrones in the Hyborian Age.

 

[hopeless]

How close should they stick to the stereotypes?
Don't trust any women?
Perhaps they have him do the opposite and earn his friends through demonstrating he isn't a psychopath and worth trusting in return?
How far is too far to you?