Written by: Sam Santiago
Arnold Schwarzenegger has every reason to be proud of himself. An Austrian immigrant who came to America, he became a millionaire through real estate and financial planning, rose to worldwide fame as a bodybuilder, and then took on a role as a sword-wielding barbarian that would not only redefine his career but leave an indelible mark on cinema. America has seen his triumphs as an example of hard work paying off—but it’s taken nearly 40 years for fans to finally get a proper revisit to King Conan, teased at the ends of Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer. For decades, fans have waited patiently, and now news has just broken that has us ready to raise our voices to the heavens for Crom and the riddle of steel once more.
For decades, fans have wondered whether Arnold Schwarzenegger would ever return to some of the iconic roles that helped define his career. Now, the legendary action star says several long-discussed projects may finally be gaining momentum.
During an appearance at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, Schwarzenegger spoke with TheArnoldFans.com about the future of multiple franchises tied to his name. Among the biggest surprises was an update on the long-rumored King Conan film, which many fans believed had quietly disappeared into development limbo years ago.
According to Schwarzenegger, the project may now be moving forward at 20th Century Studios with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie attached to write and direct.
McQuarrie is best known for collaborating with Tom Cruise on the recent entries in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.
“They just hired a fantastic writer-director who did Tom Cruise’s last four movies,” Schwarzenegger said. “They just hired him to write and direct King Conan. Now what they do is write the part age appropriate. They don’t write it like I’m forty years old anymore.”
He continued by explaining that the film would lean into Conan’s later years as a ruler.
“I’ll still go in there and kick some ass, but it will be different,” Schwarzenegger said. “With King Conan, it’s a great old story that Conan was forty years as king and now he gets forced out of the kingdom. There’s conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back. And there’s all kinds of madness, violence, magic and creatures and stuff like that.”
The actor also noted that modern filmmaking technology would allow the project to reach a scale that earlier attempts could not achieve.
“Now, of course, there’s all kinds of special effects,” he added. “The studio has plenty of money to make those movies really big, so I’m looking forward to all of those projects.”
Schwarzenegger famously first portrayed the Cimmerian warrior in "Conan the Barbarian" and later returned for Conan the Destroyer. Both films were based on the sword and sorcery character created by Robert E. Howard and helped establish Schwarzenegger as a global action star during the early 1980s.
While no official studio announcement has been made regarding King Conan, Schwarzenegger’s comments suggest the project may be moving forward behind the scenes.
The actor also revealed that discussions have taken place about revisiting another iconic role. Schwarzenegger said he has spoken with filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg about potentially returning to the Predator franchise.
“They did an additional Predator, and the director Dan Trachtenberg has been doing a great job,” Schwarzenegger said. “Now he wants me to be in the next Predator. We’ve talked about it.”
Schwarzenegger first played Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer in Predator, directed by John McTiernan. The character has remained one of the most recognizable figures in the franchise, though he has never returned in a live-action sequel.
Trachtenberg previously revived the series with "Prey", which starred Amber Midthunder as a young Comanche warrior battling the alien hunter. The film was widely praised and reignited interest in the long running franchise.
Schwarzenegger added that another familiar project may also be taking shape.
“FOX Studios has kind of rediscovered Arnold,” he said. “They’ve come to me and said, ‘We want you to do Predator, we just got a script for you to do Commando 2.’”
The original Commando starred Schwarzenegger as retired special forces colonel John Matrix and remains a cult favorite among action fans.
Whether any of these projects ultimately make it to the screen remains to be seen. Still, the possibility of Schwarzenegger returning to "Conan", "Predator", and "Commando" suggests that some of the most legendary characters in action cinema may not be finished just yet.