The Legend of Conan will hark back to the original film, says writer

In 1982, Conan the Barbarian gave a certain Arnold Schwarzenegger the leg-up he needed to reach box office success. And now The Legend of Conan, a long-gestating sequel to the cult sword-and-sandals classic, seems to finally be gaining some steam: Chris Morgan, the new film’s writer, explained to The Arnold Fans (a fan page for Arnie lovers) how it would link to the previous instalment:

‘A light-hearted Conan?! CROM! No. Our tone is a logical extension of the character established in the ’82 film… but 30 years later. When we meet him again, Conan has been many things over the course of his life – a thief, a warrior, a pirate, a king, a legend – and is now an older man. Think Unforgiven… with a sword-wielding barbarian.’

Morgan goes on to state that he wants The Legend of Conan to feel every bit a Conan movie as possible, describing original director John Milius’ ‘violent’ and ‘incomparable’ vision in the first movie. It will be fantastic to see Schwarzenegger reclaim the role that got him on the map (stealing it back from Jason Momoa in 2011’s sorry remake), and with this kind of passion going for it already, it’ll be a welcome – if overdue – sequel. As the gears on The Legend of Conan continue to grind forward, expect a release date to be announced in the coming months.