The Legend of Conan movie axed, may become a TV series

Looks like it’s the end of the cinematic road for The Legend of Conan.

The long-in-development movie that would have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger return for the third time as everyone’s favorite Hyborian Age barbarian hero has been axed. But could it be reborn as a TV series?

Featuring an older and wiser King Conan, The Legend of Conan was planned as a continuation of John Milius’ Conan: The Barbarian (and not a reboot), based on Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sandal fantasy stories and inspired by Frank Frazetta’s art. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fate of the Furious screenwriter Chris Morgan — who was also a producer on Legend of Conan — opened up about the fate (pun intended) of the movie.

When he was asked if there were any updates about the Conan film, here’s what Morgan said:

“Not so much. That’s kind of a longer story. At the end of the day, the studio decided that they weren’t gonna make that. I gotta say, it’s honestly a heartbreak. I love that first movie so much, so much, it’s one of my favorite movies. We had Will Beall do a draft on [the Legend of Conan script]. He killed it. Our take was Conan, 30 years later, a story like the Clint Eastwood Unforgiven. It was so awesome. Ultimately, the budget was big, the studio was not really sure of the title, and the relevance in the marketplace. They ended up letting it go. I think they’re gonna look to do a TV show or something with it. But just to be associated with it, pitch it to Arnold, have him get so excited, there was a moment of magic for me, personally [laughs]. You never know, down the road we may revisit!”

Which begs the question: Was The Legend of Conan killed because Ahnold may no longer have the same box-office draw the former Governator once held? The fact that Terminator Genisys bombed at the U.S. box office may have given the studio cold feet.

Morgan’s comment that The Legend of Conan may instead be reborn as a TV series is an intriguing idea. I’m sure there are tons of stories that can be told about the character, but I’m not sure if Arnold Schwarzenegger would be along for that particular ride. What do you think?

(Via EW)