The hiring of a director for the new Conan movie from Lionsgate and Nu
Image just started to heat up. A number of sites are reporting a whole
bunch of directors who have gone in for meetings with the Crom-like
powers that be to describe their visions for the return of the
barbarian. And the weirdest (yet apparently legit) rumor of them all:
that Conan will be born in a double wide in the rural areas of
Cimmeria. His mother will be a temple dancer for the god Set, and he
will be abused by his step-father, Thoth Amon. He will grow up and take
revenge on all civilized peoples to the era-appropriate strains of
Southern Rock (with a Conan twist, of course. Listen for Sweet Home Aquilonia). Yes, Rob Zombie is in the running to make a Conan movie,
according to Bloody Disgusting.
Other names that are in the soup, according to IGN: Xavier Gens, who has been talking
about it for a little while, as well as Neil Marshall, whose upcoming
movie Doomsday is intriguing me because I have heard so many mixed
things about it. I am sure other directors of a similar ilk are taking
meetings, and I think all this activity promises announcements soon
(actually, Moriarty at Aint It Cool News, who apparently has the inside
scoop, promises it as well). While I would like to see Zombie direct
something that would fall outside of his comfort zone – even after the
horror of Halloween I still have faith in him – I hope the job goes to
somebody else.