Conan the Barbarian is the latest big screen classic to get the small screen treatment. Deadline reports that a new drama series based on Robert E. Howard's Conan books is currently in development at Amazon. The show, which is appropriately called Conan, comes with an impressive pedigree. Colony co-creator Ryan Condal will write it, Game of Thrones helmer Miguel Sapochnik will direct, and The Handmaid’s Tale executive producer Warren Littlefield will oversee the proceedings.
According to the report, the show will be a reimagining of the titular character's origin story by returning to his literary roots. After being exiled by his "tribal homelands," Conan will wander the "mysterious and treacherous world of civilization where he searches for purpose in a place that rejects him as a mindless savage."
The iconic character has appeared in many different iterations ever since Howard's books were first published in 1932. The most notable adaptation was 1982's Conan the Barbarian, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in his breakout role. A less successful sequel, Conan the Destroyer, followed two years later. In 2011, Lionsgate released a new version of Conan the Barbarian with Jason Momoa assuming the title role. The film ended up bombing at the box office, grossing just under $50 million against a $90 million budget.
While plans for the sequel were eventually scrapped, Amazon clearly believes that there's still a thirst to see this character on screen in some form. It also marks the company's latest attempt at cultivating a Game of Thrones-like success. In November, Amazon closed a nearly $250 million deal to obtain the global TV rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series. The deal includes a multi-season series as well as a potential spinoff. Could Amazon be planning a Conan and LOTR crossover series? Crazier things have happened.
