Cinematical

Despite being one of the most beloved characters in the sword and sorcery genre, I can't help thinking that the reboot of Conan the Barbarian might be doomed -- I mean, it has been almost a whole year since news of a bidding war first surfaced, and after endless casting speculation we find out that now the script is suffering through a few growing pains of its own. IGN spoke with Nu Image/Millennium Films and they said that writers Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer have just started their "contractually obligated" rewrite of the script.

There is still no word on a director yet, but IGN reports that "The filmmakers are still talking to some directors but expect to engage more of them once they have a screenplay everyone is happy with." At one point everyone from Rob Zombie to John McTiernan was attached to the project, but nothing ever panned out -- could that have been the sign of a bad script that wasn't getting any better? But, for fans that are eager for the northern barbarian to get a makeover, all is not lost. IGN reports that the studio is planning on getting the production moving "sooner rather than later" in hopes of capitalizing on the popularity of the new MMORPG, Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures -- that is if they can ever find someone to direct or star in the film.

Conan is expected to arrive in theaters sometime in 2009.