The turbulent decade-long journey to bring Conan the Barbarian back to the screen
In short: Before Jason Momoa took up the sword in 2011, the project spent years in development hell. Warner Bros. held the rights for seven years, cycling through directors like Robert Rodriguez and Brett Ratner, before the property finally shifted to Millennium Films to begin a frantic, high-stakes production in Bulgaria.
The 2011 film Conan the Barbarian was the culmination of a long, fractured development process. After the 1980s success of the character, a sequel project titled King Conan: Crown of Iron stalled in the late 1990s, eventually collapsing when Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California in 2003. Warner Bros. subsequently spent seven years attempting to revive the franchise, with high-profile directors including The Wachowskis and Robert Rodriguez attached at various stages. In 2007, the rights reverted to Paradox Entertainment, whose CEO Fredrik Malmberg demanded immediate production progress, leading to a new deal with Millennium Films.
The production phase was equally volatile. Brett Ratner was prematurely announced as director in 2008, a claim he publicly refuted, before Marcus Nispel was officially hired in 2009. The script underwent multiple rewrites by writers including Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, and Sean Hood, with the production team aiming for an R-rated tone more faithful to Robert E. Howard’s original vision. Casting was similarly competitive; Jason Momoa secured the lead role in 2010 after beating out other contenders, subsequently undergoing an intense six-week training program to add muscle to his frame.
Filming finally commenced on March 15, 2010, in Bulgaria, utilizing locations such as Nu Boyana Film Studios and Vitosha. The film, which features a supporting cast including Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, and Rose McGowan, was released in August 2011. Despite the extensive efforts to modernize the franchise—including a 3D conversion in post-production—the film was ultimately deemed a critical and financial failure. It remains a notable example of how even a well-known intellectual property can struggle to navigate the complex, often contradictory demands of studio development and creative execution.
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