Arnold Schwarzenegger Teams Up With Acclaimed Director To Revive A Beloved Classic
After years of rumor, Arnold Schwarzenegger says King Conan is finally moving forward with an acclaimed filmmaker set to write and direct, reigniting hopes that the legendary warrior will ride again.
Arnold Schwarzenegger just dropped the clearest sign yet that his long-gestating return to the Hyborian Age might actually happen. He says a new King Conan movie is moving forward, and the filmmaker he name-checked is a big swing.
So, who is supposed to make King Conan?
Schwarzenegger says Christopher McQuarrie is on board to write and direct. Yes, that Christopher McQuarrie, the action tactician behind Tom Cruise’s recent run. As Arnold put it:
"They just hired a fantastic writer and director who did Tom Cruise's last four movies."
He made the comments during an interview at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, where he also tipped the story’s angle and the kind of scale they’re chasing.
What story are we talking about?
The version Schwarzenegger described centers on an older Conan who has ruled for decades, grown comfortable, and then gets pushed out of his own kingdom. That exile sparks the fight to reclaim what’s his. He also teased the tone and ingredients you want from this world — in his words, expect "madness and violence and magic" — plus creatures and all the pulpy, savage fantasy that implies. He believes modern VFX and bigger studio resources could finally let the franchise swing for the fences.
What we know right now
- Project: A King Conan feature film, per Schwarzenegger.
- Creative: Christopher McQuarrie attached to write and direct, according to Arnold.
- Story tease: An aging, complacent king forced out, then clawing his way back amid chaos, sorcery, and monsters.
- Scale: Aimed to be larger thanks to contemporary effects and budgets.
- Status: No release date yet.
- Context: Schwarzenegger last played the Cimmerian in Conan the Barbarian and returned in Conan the Destroyer, which hit U.S. theaters on June 29, 1984.
The read
If this locks in, it’s a fascinating pairing: McQuarrie’s precision-driven action sensibilities steering a grimy, mystical sword-and-sorcery epic anchored by an older, meaner Conan. That alone is enough to make this thing feel real for the first time in years. Now it just needs dates, deals, and a throne room to burn down.