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A REH purists insight on the Conan Movie

Patrice Louinet, a long time Howard purist and editor of his works, got to see several photographs from the Conan movie set and actors. Fredrik Malmberg, the CEO of Paradox Entertainment showed them to the REH fan and allowed him to open up his personal opinions on what he saw to the public to some extend. Fantasy.fr now sat down with Patrice, to direct some more in depth questions in his direction.

To summarize; Patrice is pleased with the visuals presented on the photographs, and reports that most of the actors on the set are reading Howard’s original works, to get into the mood and that he specifically liked how Momoa looked as Conan. Though Patrice hasn’t read the latest version of the script, he states, that he isn’t optimistic about the scripts direction and he assumes this movie will not be true to Howard on the script department.

This being said, I won’t delude myself into thinking this movie is going to be faithful to Howard, not by a long shot. I greatly fear to discover what’s in the final script.

Patrice’s opinion and insight is greatly appreciated and at least visually we are obviously in for a treat. Though I agree with his fear, that on the story side of things this movie will be a little flat-footed to say the least. If all things go well, we will not see a story that resembles Howard’s description of Conan’s life, but maybe at least the depiction of the character itself and the world that surrounds him will be true to Howard. Fredrik Malmberg has shown great respect to all Howard fans, by being so open with Patrice, and I praise him for taking that step. It demands in return, that we show the same respect to him and his project and not lay down arms, but together with Paradox carry the sword home, in hope of greater things to come. Stick together swords-brothers! :)

This entry was posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 5:59 pm and is filed under Official Conan Movie News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • serg

    it seems to be fine!!! the greatest news is that its cominng pretty soon!!! Guys,dont get upset about the script-its hollywood :) anyway what can be worse of Conan barbarian (1982) script? This article really made my day!!! gonna grab some beer HEHE

  • Steve Dilks

    Serg I think you will find that the new script borrows heavilly from the ’82 one.From what I could make out from the synopsis there are some references to Destroyer in there too.I think Finn made an interesting point on the last post though.Of course most of us are die hard Howard fans- NOW.If this movie gets a whole bunch of kids delving into the original books, who are we to complain? I read Conan back when I was ten.A few months later my dad told me there was a film coming out.I couldn’t believe it!I became a Conan fanatic and read all the Howard/de Camp/Carter stuff I could get my hands on.I was too young to see the movie then but it really set me off in finding out everything I could.Visually,at least,this movie should be good.It bloody well better be anyway.

  • Jay Johnson

    I’ve been a big fan of Robert E. Howard’s character since I was a kid in the 70′s… My first comic I read was Marvel’s Conan… I collected them all through the late 70′s on through the 80′s… It wasn’t until I grew older that I left the comics alone and started reading Howard’s orignal short stories and novels and developed a real appreciation for his work… The man was a genius and the craftsmanship of his writing was phenomenal for his time… I’m just hoping they don’t mess this film up and try to stick to the core of Howard’s style and creativity… Don’t get me wrong, John Milius’s film was ok, but it definately didn’t give me a feel for the true essence of Howard’s work…. Mad Taurus

  • Steve Dilks

    I am very pleased with what I just read on that link!When I was a kid I always thought it was pronounced Con-un.Many years later I found out that it is the proper Celtic pronounciation.I am so glad that Mr. Malmberg had the foresight to have that input in the movie.Hey M..er,can I have some salt with my sandalled feet or is that not allowed?

  • König vom Legoland

    Hi folks.
    These are good news.
    Of course there will be elements in the movie to complain about and to criticize (but honestly: there is no “perfect match” to such a classic like the Conan-Stories).
    :-) I try to see it this way: I won´t spoil the experience being too critical.
    I lay back and enjoy. Due to the high standards (technically) these days I am quite sure that there will remarkable moments in the movie anyway.
    I mean: 300 had it´s strange moments, but I also found a lot of real cool stuff in it!
    ——————–
    Something different: I read this blog for about half a year now and initially I just wanted to keep myself informed about the movie.
    (Thanks Waldgeist for this great job!)
    The reason why I start to write now is not that I have to say something so important, it´s just because I get kinda familiar to all the guys writing here and it´s because of the fine atmosphere.
    It seems that Conan-Fans (here!) are kind of relaxed people with a good sense of humor.
    :-)

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    Hi König!

    Great of you to join the discussion fun :D Who knows if this blog grows any bigger, maybe it would make sense for me to setup a VERY tiny forum for us guys to get together and discuss the Conan movie. What do you guys think? I know we have the official boards, that’s why I am hesitant to do it, but maybe a small discussion board would encourage more people to unveil their lurking hehe.

    Just for you to know, we reached 1500 unique visitors per day :) so there are a lot of people reading this blog and the comments.

  • Jay Johnson

    Oh, and by the way… another movie to keep your eyes on is Solomon Kane… I’ve been a big fan of Robert E. Howard’s work since I was a child. Conan, Kull, Bran Mak Morn, Cormac Mac Art, just to name a few, were characters created by Howard and are still as amazing today as they were in the early 1900′s when he created them… To see a character on the big screen, as vibrant as Solomon Kane, …show’s that Howard’s work has stood the test of time… Hopefully, this film will make it to the states… Conan was groundbreaking when released in the early 80′s, launching the govorner of California’s career, so let’s see if Solomon can do just as well, or even better… REH fan for life… Mad Taurus

  • Fayric

    Its hard to know where you got Malmberg. He guaranteed the writers knew their Conan (way back in the day when the presently used script was being written). Still he seems to be taking this project seriously and deserves respect for standing up against the money interrests.

    @ König vom Legoland: I sometimes think this blog is the place where Conan fans go to be nice;)

    @ Waldgeist: You only had about 80 comments on your last post;) Its practicly a discussion board already.

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @Fayric
    True enough :D .. if you guys like the comments to discuss i am all happy and yeah of course people are nice in here.. if they are not I’ll bring out the whip of cencorshipdoom! ;)

  • Steve Dilks

    I met up with a guy when I was at work (I DO actually manage to drag myself away). He went to see the Solomon Kane movie and said it was really good.I read the novelization and didn’t see much Howard in it but most people (like my friend) haven’t read his stuff anyway.Hey,Wald I kinda like this site as it is but its your baby.By the way does anyone have any issues with the whole Con-an vs.Co-nan pronounciation?

  • serg

    cOnan always was and always will be-i guess that just a myth!!!
    OK,everything seems to be steady now but….CAN SOMEBODY GIVE ME
    THESE F@&KING SET PICS???? :D

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @serg My thought exactly :D

    Since I also administer http://www.solomon-kane.com I am naturally a fan of the movie ;)

  • RONALDO

    RONALDO BRILHA MUITO NO CORINTHIANS!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Fayric

    I honestly have not thought of a pronounciation other than the standard-mighty-barbarian Co-nan (sort of like He-Man;). But it makes sense to pronounce it in the proper celtic way since there is(was?) an actual name “Conan” among the iseland celts, right? My only fear is they make to much of the celtic herritage of Conan; I mean, there happens alot with a culture in “5000″ years. But to tell the thruth, I am much pleased with the way they are going to pronounce it in the movie, but for us that are used to something else it will probably sound strange for a while.

  • m

    Steve just make sure you marinade the loincloth at least 12 hours…If we gotta eat feet , any way you like it!:)Never had issue with conan’s name, I’d rather know the right way , as I’ve used both, the co-nan when I’m kidding around though.I agree with fayric, who knows how prehistoric fictional celts pronounces it.It’ be funny if it was pronounced “ralph” or something!!It sounds like were gonna see pics sooner than expected , I have to say I’m looking forward to them.

  • Steve Dilks

    Well, the darndest thing..I went on to an Irish baby naming site and theres a pronunciation you can listen too.Er,Co-nan sounds like,er…Co-nan,even in Irish.Go figure.I always preffered the sound of ‘Konun’ as it does have a more gutural Celtic tone than the softer sounding Conan.I also used to pronounce Cimmeria-Kim-uh-rhea.Hah,hah!Konun of Kimuhrhea.My new character.

  • Finn

    It seems to be a difference in the second vowel sound. The american way is like the american pronunciation of ban and tan. And the word Conan rhymes with Lo-Pan from Big Trouble in Little China. With the other way, nan is like nun in american pronunciation, with a schwa sound. When I say Conan in the imaginary irish accent in my head, more emphasis is placed on Co and less on nan. When I say it in an american accent I spread the emphasis more across both syllables. That is probably a difference in how the accents approach words.

    I found this out with another Irish name, Colm. I always thought it was like comb (but with an “L”), but it seems to be more like Column.

    If we were going for authenticity we’d need to find out how Conan is pronounced in the actual irish language (not the irish dialect of english).

  • Wolfie

    As a linguist, I’d also want to point out that it is not enough to find out how Irish pronounce Conan – we’d have to find out how they pronounced the name 10000 years ago! Even the pronunciation of English vowels has changed tremendously over the centuries (check out, for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Vowel_Shift). No language is protected from change, unless they are dead languages (and people are inventing new Latin words even today).

  • m

    like I said, I think they pronounced it “ralph”

  • Steve Dilks

    Thanks guys.I see what you mean by the heavy emphasis on the “nan” syllable stateside.It sounds better with a faster clipped sound which sounds more like “Conun” when spoken.Ralph the reiver,M?Hah!By the way,I am hoping Jason Momoa can ride a horse.I mean how silly we he look leading a blood thirty horde of Zuagir desert tribesmen on a donkey? I hear he’s a whizz on the jet ski but I am rather hoping our intrepid barbarian isn’t going to walk everywhere.

  • Finn

    When I was in asia I heard it pronounced “Co-non”. Apparently there is some famous anime cartoon character named Conan that is a child detective. When they asked me my favorite book, I would say Conan, and they would say they like him too, thinking I meant the cartoon. Then I would say, well my Conan is similar to yours, but he runs around killing everybody with swords.

  • Ian

    I come to this forum all the time.At least 3-4 times a look or more in the hope for a up to date picture of Momoa as Conan.Which,like all of us in here are so eager to see.
    I just want to say thank you for creating this place.I’d hunting all over the net with all manner of searchs to get the info i want from the upcoming movie.But instead i just go into my faverites and come straight here.Plus i added to facebook:)
    I do have a question though.There is a pic here of Momoa as the young Conan close up.Is that actually real.I know what people can do with photoshop these days^^
    Anyway,TTFN :)

  • Ian

    BTW,sorry for the spelling mistakes above.:D

  • Steve Dilks

    Ian,I think that photo was made up by Waldgeist to get an impression of how Mr.Momoa could look in the role.I think it will be some time yet before any photos are released.Since the release date is so far off(Autumn 2011)I’m guessing a lot of post-production work is going into this movie.Or is it normal to keep a film in limbo for a year or so?

  • König vom Legoland

    “unveil their lurking” :-) hehehe.

    Ya, I bet there is a vast number of hidden readers.
    A new Forum? It´s all up to you, Waldgeist.
    Yes, I think a “classic” forum could be a good way to enhance the discussion over the different aspects of the movie.
    On the other hand it would mean a lot more administration-work, neh?
    :-) I would join the forum!

    ———————————————————————-
    Conan or Ralph? *hahaha*

    Spontanously I would say it´s Con-an.
    But I like the idea of making it sound more “exotic” like Ko-nun.
    And I like Kim-uh-rhea. :-)

  • Simon Musk

    Well it sounds very positive to me and hats off to the Movie Company for allowing information to come out so early in the project-thats got to be a good sign!
    Sounds too that Momoa is taking the role very seriously,I think we could be in for a suprise and one on the positive side.Lets all hope so.I cant wait to see some stills when they release them!!

  • m

    This is definitely the most consistent spot for conan movie news.It’s interesting to me that it’s seeing a fall release rather than a summer release.

  • serg

    I beg mt pardon,but I just read the link above again and noticed that i switch something!!! loinet said release date autumn 2011!!!
    !!!!2011!!!!
    ITS F@KING year and a half!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    IS that a mistake???????????

  • Big V

    I am so happy! I think think that the plot and story will be ok and I can live with that. Then they can stay faithful to REH in the Conan movies to come!

  • Fayric

    There are obviously many ways to pronounce Conan, and the man travelled the world, hearing all kinds of different languages trying to get it right; maybe he forgot the proper way himself;) Or he chose to do it in the language of land he happened to travel. Speaking several languages and always keen to pick up local fashion, it sounds reasonable.

  • Steve Dilks

    Thats a pretty good bit of plausible logic,Fayric.I like it.That way everyones happy! Just think Serg,a whole year and a half of blogging…thrill to the latest news of how long it takes Jason Momoa to wax his dreds in the morning…Maybe too we’ll learn some hot tips on how to play down tuned D slide guitar from our main man homie Momoa himself…Seriously though, it does seem like a long time unless most of the movie is matt painted in post-production like “300″ or something.I’m guessing that theres a lot of this type of work since the filming is so short.I worked as a cleaner on “Sleepy hollow” and they filmed for nearly six months.

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    I think there is a good reason, why they hire a “producers director” like Nispel. A fast shooter (40 takes a day at least). Mostly TV-series actors (no hassle, they know the drill and are trained to get into the action RIGHT AWAY, without method acting and drama coming into the way).

    Everyone seems to aimed to get this done and over with as quick as possible and as efficient as possible. This is no project helmed by Ridley Scott or any other “artist director”. We will see how this production and money approach will influence the outcome. Scorpion King anyone ;) ?

  • serg

    God forbid,Waldgeist!!! that was just monemaker-no soul!!! Autumn 2011 could be just rumor from the other hand! I dont know. anyway,as you said, this aint “bigbudget” flick,and none of those done in such long term!!! 6 months of post production is fine i think!!! my guess release date winter 2010-spring 2011!
    But waiting is painful!

  • Steve Dilks

    Crom’s black luck, Wald.In all the excitement I nearly started having high hopes!Hah,hah!Still Howard was a fast economic writer and so the pulp feel remains the same, if little else.I’m looking at “Clash of the titans” and “Prince of Persia” to see what kind of feel and look they’re going for. Checking out some stills from the latter movie I was reminded of Mr.Louinet’s comment about an “oriental type picture” he was shown that looked impressive.Maybe they showed him that and some ski snaps from holiday to pass off as Cimmeria. Notice he wasn’t given a copy of the script to thumb through.Maybe because it features a juggling dwarf as a comedic sidekick.Methinks they should have hired him as technical advisor or script editor.Wasn’t there something about a Nemedian navy?

  • http://deleted Stampfer

    Balkan media news reported that famous romanian supermodel Alina Puscau has landed a role in the new Conan movie. Beautiful Alina Puscau is well-known for her work for Victoria’s Secret and her appearance in and on Playboy in fall 2009.

    All this seems a little bit strange because Puscau is the girl-friend of movie director Brett Ratner who was once considered to take a seat in the director’s chair of the new Conan.

    I’m unable to translate the romanian articles but have read the name of the city of Varna as a filming location. Varna has an ancient history and is Bulgaria’s largest city at the Black Sea Coast.

    To find more information (and pictures of the lady) you can search the web with keywords “alina puscau” + “conan barbarul”.

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @Stampfer

    Thanks for the info. The articles say, she basically will be on the set for only a couple of days, so I suspect, she will be not much more than a “stand-by” nice looking girl.

    Apparently she will play a love scene with Jason Momoa. There we have the supposed “nudity”. Sadly it will be by a thin, skinny, quite flat breasted woman. It seems this Conan already has a different taste in women, than Howard’s Conan ;)

  • serg

    Wald,you dont like women? :D Look at her!!!
    DAMN Momoa!!! Now I hate him, Steve :D

  • Finn

    She has a great face but like Waldgeist said, she is flat. Women in the Hyborian Age come out of the womb with at least a full C cup.

    About Scorpion King, I don’t remember specifics much now, but it could have been a good movie. Even though the script wasn’t good, it had good settings and some good actors like this one does (minus the lead). But I remember being blasted with a gust of politically correct bullshit about every 5 minutes in that movie and that is what ruined it for me. We may be getting something like Scorpion King. Too bad the Conan movie doesn’t have the Rock.

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @serg
    I like women with more curves and less thin sticky legs. But everyone to his taste of course :)

    I just thought, it would be a perfect opportunity to be inspired by Howard’s writing and bring more voluptuous women on the screen and not fall into the Hollywood thin,thinner,children scheme again…

    I know it’s a matter of taste, how women should look, but as with Conan, Howard was pretty clear how the women Conan was digging looked like :) and it included a good bit of meat on their bones in the right places (I am not talking chubby chasers, more like Salma Hayek, Aria Giovanni)

  • m

    based in the notion that they are shooting for an r rating,damn! how many women is conan gonna bang in this flick? forget scorpion king or conan,this is a reboot of freakin caligula!!!

  • http://deleted Stampfer

    When I’ve posted this information a few weeks ago for the first time there was no reaction. For this reason I will repeat it, because I can’t believe that this couldn’t be interesting for Fans of Conan: German actor and bodybuilder Ralf Moeller announced on german TV that he’ll be part of the new Conan movie cast!
    Moeller, the former Conan actor in the TV-series Conan: The Adventurer, has repeated this statement on another occasion and he added that there’s also an offer to him to play a Wolfman in the upcoming double-feature The Hobbit!
    Conan-Cameonan or dwarf-hunting Wolfman – which is the lesser of two evils?
    I know this seems beyond belief, but Moeller has said it. Reason enough for me to publish it again.
    A german source is http://www.moviepilot.de/news/der-kleine-hobbit-erhaelt-ralf-moeller-eine-rolle-102367

  • m

    moeller was alright in gladiator and other bit parts , the live conan tv show just happened to suck beyond all human capacity! remember those awful cartoons! i dont know which was worse!

  • Finn

    I made some old girlfriend of mine sit though the entire season of the Conan live action tv show, and the entire season of the cartoon. The tv show was basically a cheap rip off of Conan the Destroyer but since I liked that movie, I thought the show was great too, and even the cartoon was watchable for me. I try to catch anything with ralf moeller that I can. It is great that he will be in the movie. They should slide him into the Conan role though.

  • STEFAN

    Yes,Aria Giovanni.
    Waldgeist,you really have good taste in women.
    I should add Veronika Zemanova and Sabrina Salerno to close magic triangle.Those three beauties in Conan movie would satisied every REH purist

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @Stampfer He doesn’t say that he will play a part. He said that he was OFFERED a role. So I am not sure that anything is said and done yet.

  • Fayric

    Moeller is a big impressive guy that has a natural place in any fantasy/adventure movie (and that is basicly where we find him;). Perhaps Nispel will cover him up in armour like he did in pathfinder?

    About Alina Puscau: you think she will be playing Belit in a shorter flashback/history scene, to give us a feel for the melancholy mood of Conan? I remember Nispel saying he wanted to use the “Gigantic Melancholies” in his directing, and the Belit story is very well suited for this.

  • Fayric

    Also, thank you Stampfer for the info.

    And, Finn, glad to hear someone liked Moellers Conan TV show. I think you are the first, actualy;)

  • http://deleted Stampfer

    @ Waldgeist: This is true with regard to the source-link, where only an offer is mentioned, but I saw also a Red Carpet Interview on german TV show Brisant. Moeller was asked about future plans and he said that he will travel to Bulgaria to shoot the new Conan movie. I don’t believe that the actor would have made this announcement if there is no role or at least a cameo held out in prospect.

  • Ray

    Based on what I know, Ralph will have a role in the movie as a wildman.

  • Ian

    Just under 2hrs.So i am guessing 1hr and 50mins.Seems a little short for me.Wasn’t Conan the Barbarian 2hrs long?
    Oh well,can’t grumble.At least it’s finally on its way after all these yrs of waiting.

  • Pelias

    Check it out!!! :D :D :D
    This so unexpected and so hilarious!
    I raise my beer for the guy! :)

  • smith

    hey Waldgeist

    I’m been reading a lot of negative comments on this site regarding the budget. Do you know what the budget really is?

    I remember reading some Swedish article you posted. It said the budget is at least a half billion krona (which coverts to 70 million USD). But that was just an even number the producer threw out in Swedish. Wikipedia says the budget is 100 million (which isn’t bad).

  • Steve Dilks

    Did that guy in the last link stea M’s lines?Love it!Ok check out this link and look for the Howard/Milius inspired track “Crown of Iron”.Serg brace yourself,heres me as Conan playing guitar for the soundtrack to the new movie…http://www.necropolisportal.co.uk/AngelOmega.html

  • Steve Dilks

    I really have to sort that link out…Smith, I think the PROJECTED budget before anyone got cast or hired was 100 million,which was probabely just a wild figure they threw out in hope of gaining some interest in the project,not to mention some backers.70 million in all honesty is about the best we can hope for given the B-grade list of things to do with this movie.I don’t mean that as an insult it’s just the corner cutting approach they seem to have taken.

  • Steve Dilks
  • serg

    Okie Dokie,Steve!
    I’ve got some proper guitar responce for you :)
    But this one is actually inspired by all thoughts about the movie I had since i joined the blog!!! Just few elements of metal there,sorry ;)
    read description.
    I actually put “conanmovieblog” in video so more people can come here :)
    Sharing with you,mu sword brothers,you can call me now one-eye thief HEHE

  • Finn

    The first half of that song is pretty good, serg.

    I like this guy’s anti-momoa rant:

  • Steve Dilks

    Actually I thought the second half of that piece was better,Serg!It reminded me a lot of Iron Maiden’s “To tame a land” which is on the “Piece of mind” album and was written about the book Dune.It was covered brilliantly by prog-metallers Dream Theatre recently.I’m a sucker myself for that middle eastern sound and used it in part on a song I wrote called; “Salome-Queen of darkness” based partly on Howard’s “A witch shall be born” though most credit must go to Oscar Wilde for his 1897 play.

  • serg

    Finn,I already had a short conversation with him on youtube!!! He strangely dissapeared :)

  • Finn

    Ahh, I see, that is great. A cycle of attacking jason momoa as a person and people attacking the guy who made the video as a person. Will it ever end?????????????????? I hope not. Jason momoa may be a great guy, I don’t know, he may even be a decent actor. Would you cast danny devito as abraham lincoln though?

    Here is the funniest comment I have read on youtube so far (from a different video):

    TheGingyBreadGal Crom laughs at jason’s weakness. He laughs from his mountain. HAHAHA 1 month ago

  • Simon Musk

    It seems people are running out of intelligent things to say? Why don’t we pick a subject and run with that?
    For example-in an ideal world what Conan story would you as a fan like to see made into a movie?
    By the way does anyone remember the vinyl album released in the 70′s that had a dramatisation of THE FROST GIANT’S DAUGHTER? I had it but traded it to another fan years ago.It was pretty good.

  • m

    I’d have to pick from the tower of the elephant( done in horror movie style)queen of the black coast ,and some kind of hybrid version of the scarlet citadel and the hour of the dragon, to start. Some of conans stories are too short , and may serve best as an opening sequence , similar to bond. The frost giants daughter, i think would serve very well in this respect.

  • Steve Dilks

    Back in 1990 I heard a rumour that Karl Edward Wagner was writing a screenplay adaption of “Beyond the black river” for Conan 3.I remember writing to “Savage sword of Conan” to ask the editor if it was true.Alas,they had no info and the rumour faded into obscurity…I think “Black colossus” would be good.A hybrid of that and “The scarlet citadel” would make…a bloody enjoyable book.I think most of Howard’s Conan stuff has cinematic appeal.I do think if he had a little more enthusiasm for the project Robert Rodriguez could make a great straight adaption of Howard.

  • Steve Dilks

    Oh Simon I have seen those records advertised on the back of old comics.I seem to remember there was also one of “The tower of the elephant” too.The cover art was by Tim Conrad and they were read by either Roy Thomas or L.Sprague de Camp,I forget which.Never actually seen one.Might be worth checking on e-bay.

  • mikoza

    @Simon Musk

    Maybe you mean about this vinyl album:

    http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/D/dust_hard.html

    This is the band “Dust” and his album “Hard Attack” from 1972. Hard rock band with some similarities to “The Ramones”.

  • Fayric

    I would love to se Queen of the black coast made to a good movie. From the opening scene (one of my favourites) to the end we get to see it all; conans fight with civilization, pirates, attractive women, ancient ruins in wast jungles, treasure, ape-beast, evil hoodo, horrible secrets from a forgotten past, etc, etc.
    No problem to get it to a full lenght movie.

  • http://melodynelson707.canalblog.com frog

    Where is the pictures? there is no pictures of the making in this blog!

  • Simon Musk

    Steve,yes the rumour was true about KEW writing a screenplay of BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER it would have made a fantastic film!! I was in touch with KEW at the time but he was declining quite a lot at this time due to alcohol abuse and died in 1994.Very sad as he was a superb writer and a sound guy!
    Yes I had both those albums you just reminded me about the TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT!! Wish I still had them plus the two ltd edition hardbacks of Conan stories Arnold signed for me!!

  • Steve Dilks

    Simon.Eric and Ted owners of my old favourite book haunt Fantasy Centre(R.I.P.) had good things to say about Karl whom they met when he came over.Eric particularly recalled;”Yes, a lovely chap…but,phew!,did he like to drink.” I think all the best writers in the fantasy field arre dead,certainly all the ones I love are.The only exception of course is Michael Moorcock whom I have had the pleasure of meeting a couple of times.EVERYTHING he wrote up until about 1980 is vastly entertaining and a great read.”Dancers at the end of time” is up there among my all time favourites along with Wilde’s “Picture of Dorian Grey” and Mervyn Peake’s “Goremenghast” trilogy.

  • Ian

    Hey Fin,
    I read your comment above about what thegingerbreadguy said.This was my argument in youtube also with some woman who was just intersted how hot momoa is :P
    #
    fallingstar6073 This has been flagged as spam be displayed hide
    He was tall,strongly made youth standing beside him.This person was as much out of place of that in the den as a gray wolf among mangy rats of the gutters.His cheap tunic could not conceal the hard,rangy lines of his powerful frame,the broard heavy shoulders,the massive chest.the lean waist,and heavy arms.His skin was brown from outland suns,his eyes blue smoldering;a shock of tousled black hair crowned his broad forehead.Just for you! ;p 2 months ago

    #
    fallingstar6073 As you can see.The mass is as much important to the character as how it would be acted.Yeah he may have the acting skills.But the mass has to be there even for the young Conan as described above mylss1.Sry.But it’s true.. 2 months ago

  • Ian

    Here’s the quotes in question from Patrice:

    CGI will be for the blue eyes. Perhaps more, I don’t know.

    Remember, I only got to *see* these pictures; I don’t have them. I saw a muscular guy, but not a bodybuilder type. His skin his dark, but he doesn’t have the surfer look we could fear. I didn’t try to compare him to an artist’s depiction. I only wanted to see if he “looked the part”. So, basically, what I said; physically he has all the attributes of REH’s Conan, and none of the dull-witted Viking bodybuilder I was fearing we would get.

    I *know* it’s frustrating to have to go by these general descriptions, but it’s the best I can offer.

    From The Cimmerian

    http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=12952

    Hmm,maybe they will bulk him up with CGI as well as his eyes.:)

  • Ray

    “His cheap tunic could not conceal the hard,rangy lines of his powerful frame,the broard heavy shoulders,the massive chest.the lean waist,and heavy arms.”

    Based on this description of Conan and actually seeing pics of Jason on the set of Conan, he just doesn’t have that intimidating build as I intepret the description of Conan above.

    Jason is in great shape and looks more muscular than what I’ve seen him to be in the past…but just not that awe inspiring build that I believe Howard’s Conan had.

    That being said….I still think Jason’s going to pull it off. He basically has everything else going for him except for that one part of having an intimidating and powerful build, IMO, but I’m a natural bodybuilder myself, so I might be a little bias ;)

  • Wolfie

    I’ll rather compromise with the bulk than with the acting ability. Momoa may be one of the few suitably tall and muscular actors who’ll be able to pull off the role without the scriptwriters having to turn the character into a half-mute (to hide non-existing acting skills).

  • Ray

    Hey guys…I was just told I could post some pics of myself on set. Their cropped because I can’t show too much and I can’t show any pics of myself with any of the stars of the movie….at least not yet.

    They are on my Facebook page. Search under Ray Cook

  • mikoza

    Hello Ray! Can I post your pic from set (I found just one on your Facebook page) on the conan.com forum? Or, maybe you can do that? It’s here: http://www.conan.com/invboard/index.php?showtopic=7098&st=2420

  • Wolfie

    There are quite a few Ray Cooks on Facebook…

  • mikoza

    I already post the pics on the above link ;-) …

  • Fayric

    @ steve dilks
    There is still one major Sci-fi/fantasy writer left alive: Gene Wolfe. His pen is still sharp, even if he too is getting old. Im sure a man of your reading habits have not missed out on him;) I have not read all his works, but the ones I have was really awe inspiring, out of this world stuff.

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    I created a gallery for the set pictures here – http://www.conanmovieblog.com/conan-set-pictures/

    If you find more or are allowed to release more, please send them to “webmaster at conanmovieblog.com” (replace the at with @ of course)

  • Steve Dilks

    Fayric.I remember Gene Wolfe as the author of “Shadow of the torturer” though I never got round to actually reading any of his stuff.Thanks for the tip!

  • serg
  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @serg exactly my thought, BUT i watched other interviews with him and he always is this strangely overemoted, hyperanimated :D

    He seems like a highly energetic guy.

  • serg

    HEHEHE!
    So what do you think about the pics?
    Costumes not that bad imo

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    To be honest… everything about the set shots is below the average quality of fantasy tv-series. It’s like a checklist of bad-american fantasy costume taste:

    * nudity for nudities sake
    * black shiny leather with metal spikes
    * rough cut leather as clothing
    * nothing is realistically lived in, just obvious “rough fakes”
    * footwork is based on putting tons of cloth around the ankles and wrapping it with band.

    Cheap, disturbingly cheap.

  • serg

    You got point
    Anyway the final judgement only after watching the movie

  • Steve Dilks

    They look like somebodys holiday snaps of a Turkish belly dancing troop.Hey M, if you still out there check out thecimmerian site for info on the new Lovecraft fans movie adaption of “The whisperer in darkness”.Maybe this is the step forward for Howard’s stuff if there is any hope of getting anything taken seriously on the silver screen.Crom laughs at our despair.

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    I pulled the images off the blog, as I don’t want Ray to get in trouble.

  • m

    yeah, I’m still around just a little busy lately. looked at the pics (among the other stuff floating around) and aside the fact that ray you would make a decent conan,( go for kull brother!!) I didnt have a problem with what i saw.It reminds me of milius and the destroyer a little and as far as it looking cheap, well this is the extra stuff and im sure it’s not meant to be seen to up close and personal.Also there really isnt enough to see to make a judgment yet.Steve I did check out that whisper in the darkness adaptation , and it looks like it could be fun.Waldgeist I hear that solomon kane was picked up by rogue pictures, any truth to that?

  • Ray

    Thanks Waldgeist!

    m, I always played Conan or some other made up barbarian when I played D&D or LARPed as a kid or as a ‘big’ kid lately ;) That character as portrayed by Arnold and in Howard’s books is one of the reasons I got into bodybuilding. At age 43…I don’t think I would make a very good Conan…unless it was in his later years ;) …but thanks. I will definitely take that as a compliment! ;) You are also right about the other pics being ‘extras’. The customes of the stars are much more elaborate and it’s amazing what film and lighting does. If you’ve ever been to a play and have had the opportunity to see the set up close…you’ll understand.

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @m nothing official about Solomon Kane. The rogue pictured deal was a rumour a while back, but it never turned out to be true.

  • http://poderfriki.com Kike

    I WANT TO SEE THE NO-OFFICIAL PICS!!!! Actually, i NEED to see it!

    What happened, by Set??

  • m

    yeah I figured that much. I’m taking a laid back approach to things as far as my feelings for the movie a wait and see attitude since its so far off, your word has been solid so far and if you say momoa even slightly resembles the leaner windsor smith artwork I for one am happy with that. And being a big guy yourself its easy not to be intimidated by anyone but figure this… momoa is six foot four or five and he’s say 225 lbs, thats mma heavy weight uh weight. He may not be a bulldozer like arnold but also figure aside ukafa ( and perelman and yourself whom he does not share screen time ) he’s probably one of the bigger guys there. plus what was tall twelve thousand years ago five foot four? And like you said the camera and lighting can do amazing things, look how they make tom cruise and stallone appear bigger than the truth.

  • Finn

    It seems I missed the pictures too.

    weight classes don’t take height or frame into account….yao ming and shaquille o’neal are both around the same weight.

  • Steve Dilks

    Maybe we should all club together our pocket money and cast Valhalla Ray the dead barbarian as King Conan in an adaption of “The hour of the dragon “. We could film it in b/w and have it done as a silent movie. I propose we call ourselves the Robert E. Howard Puritan Society and start filming immediately. Location filming will begin in Turkey then onto North Africa for the bits set in Stygia.

  • Rabensblut

    Hey guys, If you want to see how Jason Momoa looks right now, these are photos from march:

    http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/archive/2010/03/02/jason_momoa_gets_a_conan_daddy.php

  • Fayric

    Great find Rabensblut. Even if its two months ago and they are feeding him magic potions to bost the mass, he looks a bit on the small side even for me (who belives the frequent wolf and panther descriptions of Conan imply a tall athletic guy rather than pure bulk). Still I have no real problem with this for a youg Conan. Hm, what does a square cut black mane look like anyway?

  • König vom Legoland

    :-)
    Ah! Nice pictures (au contraire to the set pics).
    I focus on the “wolf and panther”[(c) Fayric] aspect and for me he looks quite ok!

    I don´t want Conan look too bulky and clumsy. I hope for the right balance between strenght and swiftness.

  • Ray

    Steve, I’m in. Let’s do it! ;)

  • Finn

    “He saw a tall, strongly made youth standing beside him.
    This person was as much out of place in that den as a gray wolf among
    mangy rats of the gutters. His cheap tunic could not conceal the hard,
    rangy lines of his powerful frame, the broad heavy shoulders, the
    massive chest, lean waist and heavy arms.” – Tower of the Elephant (young Conan)

    Now, look at those pictures.

    Tall? Check
    Strongly made? X
    Powerful frame? X
    Broad shoulders? Debatable
    Massive chest? Debatable
    Lean waist? Check
    Heavy arms? X

    He doesn’t look like a wolf among rats. He looks like somebody to buy weed from. If he had big arms, it might change things some, but he doesn’t have the genetics to have big arms. Which is fine, he can still be a great actor, it just means he’s not cut out for roles like Thor, Conan, the Hulk, etc.

  • Steve Dilks

    Conan the Dealer,Finn? Hah, how much for a bag of black lotus?I have to say though that from those photos he does look a lot like Barry Windsor-Smith’s Conan even down to the wavey mess of shoulder length hair, which is at least black.He does have a good face too I think -quick to smile and scowl. Smith’s Conan is my favourite interpretation right after Frazetta. There will have to be some CGI done on that forearm tatoo but I’m starting to slowly come round…that is until Waldgeist comes in and points out he’s got rotten gapped teeth or something.

  • Fayric

    Finn, I actually do think Momoa would stick out like a wolf among rats in a dirty den of crouching thieves and cutthroats such as the Maul. Still, his arms could be bigger;)

    In “the god in the bowl”, Conan is also desrcibed as broad shouldered, massive chest, and heavy arms [actually the same description word by word as in "the tower"] yet, at the next page an old city guard is about to slap him around for being an insolent cur. So, strong and impressive as he might be, he is still far from the incredible hulk.

  • m

    guys just for the info, i’m pretty sure i saw those pics back in feb, not march, I think i remember seeing one of them in the ny post.I think that was the gossip bit i mentioned some time back about chicks flocking to him instead of some other hollywood stud ( think it was gerard butler, friggin leonidas!) I was impressed with his general features and thought at the time he was in the midst of bulking up. Ray can you shed some light? also he seems to have a lazy eye in some pics too not that its relevant , it would be funny though if they forgot to correct it for the flick.overall i liked the direction he’s going in he does resemble smiths conan. And not to be too critical, the hair beats arnolds and sorbos .glad to hear , according to louinet, he’s reading howard, maybe at the very least he will become a fan.

  • builder
  • Ray

    m, based on the pics I saw of Jason, he looked to have put on maybe 5 to 10lbs. and definitely lossed some body fat. He definitely looks more muscular! I’m 6’1″ and 240lbs. and I’m not what I would call huge…especially after meeting Bob Sapp and Nathan Jones but I would love to see Jason after he has put on another 20-30lbs. of muscle at 6’5″. I think he would than have a more intimidating looking physique that Conan has been described to of had. Ya know…powerful but very athletic. I don’t think he has a lazy eye…but he does have a scar above his left eye that definitely makes him look more rugged. Maybe that’s what you are seeing.

  • serg

    to everybody
    Malmberg commented the foto and said its NOT Momoa-but one of his doubles.He also added that Momoa a bit bigger
    @builder
    thanks for the vid,man.M was wright thise pics from FEB and you know…
    he does look massive…very beefy.Imagine how he looks now – impressive

  • Ian

    The only Conan that fits the image for me is Frazetta/Boris
    Vallejo or the Cover art from Leonard Carpenter’s Conan the Savage.Now that’s Conan as i know it.I think Barry Windsor Smith is a good artist.Ive tried to read the Comic’s but they just aren’t the same.Now to read Slaine is different story.
    Anyway.
    There is no way Momoa can be much bigger than the Vid/Photo’s above.
    I see another Pathfinder but in a different time.
    Guys,Howard as you read from the brief discription i gave from Elephant Tower is how Howard constantly reminds us throughout the books as many of the writers have followed in vain of his massive build.
    And to accept a Barry windsor Smith Conan is like accepting defeat.
    I am sorry for ranting on.But he still ain’t big enough.

    Crom laugh’s at Momoa’s arms and casts out of Valhalla to roam the underworld with a wooden sword.:P
    :) :)

  • Ian

    Finn,

    Thank you for pointing the above out.100% agree.
    (just means he’s not cut out for roles like Thor, Conan, the Hulk, etc)

    I read somewhere to find a guy who fits the build is very difficult.
    In my opinion thats just rubbish.
    If Bay could find a Christopher reeve’s look at like,imagine how easy it is to find a Conan look a like.

  • Ian

    Ooops,,
    Brian Singer not Micheal Bay :P

  • m

    You gotta look at his size in context to everyone else there. there are only two maybe three in the flick bigger than him.And again the camreawork is gonna bring a role.What i find interesting here is the varying perceptions everyone has of conan in their minds and how they interpret howards words. Howard , to my knowledge never gave and exact physical height and weight for conan, and if you look at history, even in a lost age like the hyborian, i seriously doubt many of its civilized peoples even came up to five foot ten, much less where conan may lie. I myself always imagined him between 6’2″ to at most 6’5″ weighing anywhere from 210 to240 depending on his age too(heavier as older)That said I think there can still be room for that unnatural strength present in him due the fact of 0% body fat 100% muscle, much like say bruce lee .i cannot personally see howard perceiving conan ( though I have no argument with those who do, it’s all about perception) as an wwe undertaker type freak of nature,but it seems to me , with everyone involved with fitness and working out these days, the bar of these perceptions is raised higher too. for every one arnold there was 30 years ago there are 10 today . And if they’re not quite there, cgi baby!ultimatley I think as long as they make whatever size and muscle Momoa has work in context of this movie, hopefully we won’t notice or care about our own perceptions. Hollywood is all about creating illusion, they can make tom cruise ( all 5’6″ of him) look like a 6′foot vampire ,I’m sure they can accentuate whats there, improve whats not.Maybe a good theme for a conan movie may not only be the barbarism vs civilization bit I’d personally kill to see, but myth vs reality, I think that could go over well too.

  • Rune

    To me, Momoa looks like he could make a great Conan, physical wise, that is. The way I saw Conan, was the athletic, not body-builder type. I always pictured him as well-muscled, but not so much that it hindered his agility. His strength always lay in his overhuman willpower.

  • Simon Musk

    Momoa looks pretty good to me in the photos,assuming they were taken a few months ago he has had time to put some “beef” on his frame.His arms are relaxed so you can’t really see what they look like when he has pumped them up for a scene in the movie. From the comments flying around the net at the moment ie from Lang etc people seem rather pleased with the way Momoa is handling the role as the Cimmerian.I for one am STILL very much looking foward to the movie.Hope to see some official photos from the set very soon!!

  • Finn

    Barry Windsor Smith’s Conan is actually a huge guy. He is proportioned a little weird. But just because he seems thinner than normal Conan depictions, don’t jump to assume Momoa is thin so Momoa will be like him. In the human world, the Barry Windsor Smith depiction of Conan would be a professional bodybuilder.

    Why do you think there would only be 2 or 3 guys bigger than him on the set? Ralf Moeller is bigger, Bob Sapp is bigger, Ron Perlman is bigger, Stephen Lang is bigger, somebody mentioned a wrestler in the movie who is of course bigger, and the extras like Ray are bigger. Mickey Rourke was bigger. This is a movie full of big, strong looking weightlifter guys, haha. Maybe the 50 pound Momoa Metamorphasis will be successful and I will be wrong.

    The NFL is full of lean 270 pound defensive ends with functional strength jumping and twisting around like cats to get to the quarterback. Brock Lesnar is pretty agile too. Bodybuilding muscle eventually seems to hinder agility (for the elite bodybuilders), but since Conan is always written by REH as being a huge strong guy who is agile as hell (DE or Lesnar), there is no muscle-agility conflict in this fictional character.

  • Simon Musk

    Stephen Lang and Ron Perlman are bigger than Momoa! You have to be joking-maybe Perlman in a muscle suit as HELLBOY!! I suppose they have cast some huge guys in the movie so non hardcore fans realise what an animal Conan is why he kicks their butts!
    Brock Lesnar might be huge but he looks fat a lot of the time.
    I think some people are going to have to back track once the official stills are released of Momoa as Conan

  • Finn
  • Ray

    I can pretty much guareentee neither Ron or Stephen look bigger than Jason in person side by side. Don’t get me wrong…both Stephen and Ron are in good shape…but Jason definitely looks more muscular to me as in being ripped and athletic while being about 5″ taller than either of them. I also had the opportunity to be working out in the same gym with Ron in Sofia and he does have a big frame and big arms, but he doesn’t have that athletic looking physique that Jason has. Give the guy credit…he is 60yrs. old and I do hope to be in as good of shape as he is at that age. I only seen Stephen in costume and he didn’t appear to be big to me, but if the guy is in as good of shape as he was in Avatar…my hats off to him. He looked great in that movie! Keep in mind…just because a guy is big and muscular doesn’t mean they are not athletic…and just because a guy isn’t huge…doesn’t mean they aren’t strong. I believe Jason’s gonna do great. I just don’t think he’s absolutley ‘perfect’ for the roll of Conan.

  • Steve Dilks

    I disagree that Barry Smith’s Conan “is a huge guy”. I think he is more athletic looking and toned like an Olympic swimmer or some such with good muscle definition, built for short bursts of furious speed and strength but with a determined patient stamina.I’m starting to believe in Momoa as a closer fit to Howard’s vision.I mean can you imagine ANY of those big wrestler guys doggedly running down the nymph sprite in “The frost giants daughter”?

  • m

    I meant it in the context of whose appearing onscreen with him too. that would likely only be bob sapp and moeller. ron perelman is already dead by the time momoa ‘s gonna appear andas ray said stephen lang is not as big.Brock Lesnar is huge and fast too huge,he makes( or made i dont know what he looks like in his current condition after the diviculitis bit)arnold look small. Brock would make a great beowulf viking type superhero, or even if they remade the first terminator, the guy is a beast. I’s even envision him as a formidable villan for conan to cleave, but i cant see him as conan though.I believe conan must be formidable, not invincible looking, because if he’s too inhuman the movie will be less convincing.as tough as he is in the books he’s still vulnerable, he still bleeds can be captured and crucified too! Look at arnold in commando, fun movie but he makes it look easy, taking out a dictator and his army. Just because it’s conan doesnt mean it should be easy, show what sets him apart. And no one’s ever gonna be perfect in anyones eye’s for conan no matter who was casted.I’m not gonna sit here and be Momoa’s public defender, but I’ve decided I’m not gonna pass judgment on him now until I see a trailer and/or the movie itself.” if it bleeds, we can kill it” I put that in for no reason thats relevant

  • Steve Dilks

    I could see that Brock Lesner guy as Baal-Pteor, the strangler, in “Shadows in Zamboula”. I couldnt see Jason Momoa standing toe to toe with him and breaking his neck with his bare hands though as Conan does.Maybe he could hit him with a plastic chair and roll him through some ropes instead.

  • m

    DDT on the winged ape men!!Crom 3:16says i just kicked your ass!!! you know steve i just finished rereading my kull book and on to solomon kane… I have to say and maybe this could start a whole other discussion, i don’t think kull could’ve lasted long as king. He strikes me as a very tragic character ( partly feral which i did not reacll until i reread it) who seemed to become very paranoid and doubtful of the reality around ( maybe caused by serpent men everywhere inguise?)him at one point, which as we all know conan never had that problem as he took what was in front of him as it was. And I find his lack of interest in woman AT ALL , and I mean AT ALL ,a little disturbing. In one story ( or fragment) hes off traveling halfway across the world seeking some guy who insulted him for not doing something like allowing a marriage and Kull is admiring his captain of the red guard (i think) a bit too much!!!I’m not implying anything but it could be read (or misread) like that!!! I’m really enjoying solomon kane though , he’s my fave thus far ( next to conan of course. I’m gonna reread bran mak morn next, it’s amazing how 15 years later i come back to this stuff and how your perspective changes.

  • m

    well its hard to see conan killing ape beasts but he managed to, and down a flagon of wine afterwards!4 am here off to the gym and off to work!

  • CN6

    Ray,
    I have a specific question for you: in the pics you saw, could you tell if Momoa is using any kind of make-up to change his facial features? Something like scars, or prosthetics (nose, chin, etc) of any kind to make him, lets say… uglier? I’m asking that because to me, more important than the body size, is the FACE of who is going to play him. I mean, Conan has a very distinct look and face, defined by Howard’s descriptions and then later stablished by the great classic ilustrators like Frazetta and Buscema, and ALL the others who penciled him along the years. So, the biggest problem I have with Momoa is that he doesn’t LOOK like Conan. At all! And thats something that I think some kind of good make-up could fix, or at least improve a bit. Thanks!

    By the way, I missed the pics, too… :(

  • Steve Dilks

    I think your evaluation of Kull spot on M. Personally I think he was a better developed character than Solomon Kane. I liked the tone and mood a lot more.The Bran Mak Morn stories I found to be similar in vein if not better.A shame in fact he did not write more. But really M,hunt down “A gent from Bear Creek” if you want to read Howard at his best. Breckenridge Elkins for president!

  • Finn

    Don’t let Kull babysit your boys on saturday night. No camping trips either.

    Alright, if momoa is really bigger than perlman and lang, that is a good sign. I didn’t see any pictures of the old guys with their shirts off, but they have got some serious arms. Arms are probably half the reason momoa has been criticized as a casting choice. We’ll know in a couple of months.

    If you want to see the swimmer physique, look at michael phelps. Barry Windsor Smith’s Conan has a huge V shaped barrel torso (front and back), big upper arms, cannonball delts, etc. It’s just not as big as other depictions. Maybe it is hard to compare a comic drawing and a photo. I haven’t seen any swimmers that look like that though, haha.

    It seems about time for a new scrap of movie news to be thrown to us.

  • Simon Musk

    I think its kind of funny when people say Momoa doesnt look like Conan!!
    Who’s Conan? There are so many depictions of the Cimmerian we are never going to agree on just one depiction are we?
    My personal idea of Conan is the the painting by Frazetta “The Barbarian” but who living could possibly look like that?
    I have high hopes that Jason will pull it off and make an excellent Conan and I will be the first one to hold my hands up if he doesn’t!

  • Ray

    CN6, I don’t know the exact extent of Jason’s make-up other than some of the make-up I personally went through, which was self tanner like make-up, some scars and some make-up to make me look dirty.

    I do know that Shaun and Scott, who are the lead make-up artists worked on the movie 300, so there might be some airbrushing to enhance his muscles. Can’t tell you for sure.

    Jason does have a real scar above his left eye through his eyebrow. I personally think his face looks more like Howard’s Conan than Arnold did.

    Let’s face it…we all have different interpretations of what Conan should look like but I strongly believe jason’s going to do well in this roll, generally speaking.

  • CN6

    Thanks, Ray :)

    More and more I think that Momoa will do a good job too, but what I’m trying to say is that I have (don’t we all?) a very solid image in my head of how Conan should look like in the real life, and heres a couple of examples, to give you guys an idea:

    http://s.bebo.com/app-image/7926877664/5411656627/PROFILE/i.quizzaz.com/img/q/u/08/04/01/Chabal.jpg
    (Sebastien Chabal, minus the beard. Although without it, he doesn’t quite look like him anymore…)

    http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4282031360/nm0806002
    (Paul Sloan)

    Even Javier Bardem has all the correct facial features for the role:
    http://www.clicrbs.com.br/blog/fotos/34730post_foto.jpg

    Does Momoa remotely looks like those guys? No, he looks like this guy:
    http://www.buddytv.com/articles/stargate-atlantis/images/jason-momoa-2.jpg

    So, to me, he DOESN’T look like Conan, but thats just my opinion.

    I’m sure he’ll bring things to the table that Arnold (or any other bodybuilder) could never dream about, like agility, speed and flexibility, just like Howard describes him. Those qualities will make his Conan portrayal reach another level, for sure, which is a good thing. He’ll just have to combine all that with a powerful presence, piercing eyes and a commanding voice, and then maybe we’ll have a perfect Conan. Can he pull this off? I hope so :)

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    More set-shots… boooooooring :) and illogical

    http://operationkino.net/2010/05/conan-the-bulgarian/

  • serg

    You know…I really changed courses.Im not gonna watch that crap…seriously,wtf, we got several background set pics and they are such a shame….Momoa has thin arms….f@ck it! Im twilight fan now

  • Ian

    Very nice pics indeed.
    Thank you Waldgeist :)
    Seems ive created a bit of a stir over my views on how i visualise Conan.

    The movie started my interest of the character and i do think Arnold did at that time a good job.After all it was the 1980′s and he was just breaking into acting.So i will always defend him on that front.
    Now for looks,other than the lack of black hair and blue eyes ofc.Arnold did look like the Frazetta’s Conan which of course they was going for at the time.
    Remember as he came out of the cave and held the sword to his face and the camera panned in on him?That hard,stern face has the look savagery and vengence to me.And his build fitted perfectly to Frazetta’s pertrayal.
    So in my eyes Arnold was Frazetta’s Conan.
    And Momoa will be Barry Windsor Smith’s Conan.

    I have now accepted that for i have no choice in the matter :P
    And i respect everyones views on how there Conan looks for them.For he is fictional at the end of the day.Like how people visualise Hobbits compared to Jacksons Hobbits or Gandalf or Aragorn.An old old worships Tolkien Lord of the Rings but doesn’t like the movies so much.
    For instance i personally prefer the 1978′s Gollom compared to Jacksons.
    It’s all just a matter of opinion:)

    I read somewhere Camp did tell Frazetta’s that Conan’s hair was getting to long in his paintings. ^__^

  • Ian

    Wishes he could remove posts at times due spelling mistakes :P ..Hehe
    Gollum +old friend :)
    Sorry again^^

  • Ian

    For those of you reto video gamers in here.
    Remember this ?
    Conan but with a different name.
    Rastan Saga!!

  • m

    Ian i agree with you 100%,though i still like smiths conan , as i like 90% pf conan art. the set pics again dont bother me. I want to see how they’re utilized before i judge. At a glance they do remind me of the milius film and destroyer a bit.

  • m

    I rmember rastan golden axe all of that stuff

  • Ian

    Thank you m
    Good to see you remember Rastan and Golden Axe too :)

  • Big V

    @Ray. Can you tell us if there was some sort of wall protecting Conan’s village?

  • Finn

    I like the set pics, that place is gonna look smooth in 1080p. Especially if it is raining and muddy.

    Some people interpret the bible literally, some think it is symbolic. And, you can go in a white church and see white jesus, or go in a black church and see black jesus. And people would probably go nuts if they saw a short haired jesus with no beard. It is kind of the same with us. If Conan gets bigger we can form our own denominations.

    I have only seen pictures of momoa. Does he have a voice suitable to Conan? I thought Arnold’s voice was good, but the speaker’s in the trailer that waldgiest posted recently seemed a little too upper class and girly.

  • Ray

    Big V, there were no walls surrounding the village…unless they CGI them in later.

  • Big V

    @ Ray, Thanks man. I do think the village pic’s look good. Vary grity. It’s just that in my mind I always saw Conan’s village in between two high peaks with a tall timber wall high in the woods. But by looking at the pic’s, there is no Scorpion King feel to it, wich is good. I would like to ask you one more thing if thats ok. Do all the Cimmerians have black or at least dark hair? Just asking because there was a rumor going around that Conan’s father (Ron) had a red ginger colored beard. Is that true?

  • Ray

    The majority, if not nearly all of Cimmerians had dark hair ranging from shades of brown to black. I believe Ron had light brown and gray hair with a sandy strawberry blonde and gray beard. It definitely wasn’t like a dwarf’s red beard if that’s what you mean by a red ginger beard ;)

  • m

    It does give the impression of a race that just stepped out of a stone age like condition and has begun tool making and such. I took a second look and there’s a crudeness and subtlety I didn’t catch the first time. I always visualized cimmeria as a place conan didnt want to think to much about due to its grimness and the pics look like a place I wouldn’t want to live in either. Now do some last minute casting and Put Lemmy Kilmister as Conan’s grandfather to instill the wanderlust that makes him seek adventures in the civli….too late for that? Shucks!Hey Steve how do you like wanderlust as a band name? I used to be a bassist in my former life ( hence my 20′s before wife and kids) and I wished i would ‘ve thought of it then.

  • Big V

    Thanks ray!

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @m
    “Wanderlust” sounds pretty stupid in german, because it’s like a “nazi-word” because it’s so “alien” to present german speak. That word is used in the context of those horrible youth-group songs when they sing “Die Wanderslust packt uns joho johooo”.. :D

  • m

    yikes!

  • König vom Legoland

    :-)
    Ya!
    Don´t take wanderlust as a band name.
    It has a rotten aura.
    ——————-

    What´s up?
    Any news?
    It is kinda silent about the film, isn´t it?
    I am just curious!
    :-)

  • m

    i’ve stopped playing for some time now anyway. thought i saw a horrible blip some time back that the guy who wrote ninja assassin is writing Kull and will be “different from the comic!” how does one take this?

  • Stampfer

    Dungeons & Wagons:
    I’ve found a Bulgarian website with an interesting clip. It’s featuring an interview and talk about movie making in Bulgaria, partial about Conan! Take a look at a prison yard quarry (and the purchase order), a kind of a dungeon with skeletons and a wooden carriage for beasts or prisoners (or both). It’s nice, but don’t expect Cast and Crew.
    http://www.blife.bg/article-1006

    School of Swordplay:
    A class of Bulgarian kids visited the Nu Boyana Movie Studio in Sofia. You can see the cheerful boys and girls at several standing sets on its grounds (American Street, Ancient City) and fooling around with a sword from a certain movie production. Could it be the real one? I assume there is no souvenir shop where you can buy a sword like this. These happy kids were apparently enthused.
    http://www.kinoarena.com/news/154

    This is the Website of the Nu Boyana Studio, but there wasn’t an update for months. That’s annoying.
    http://nuboyana.com/

  • King

    conan.com/invboard/index.php?showtopic=7098&st=2560

  • CN6
  • m

    hmmmmm …… not exactly barry windsor smith, he’s got a sulleness to him but again, there’s not enough to judge. he appears to be bigger than before. the only the that really bugs me (really a small thing) is his hair. Ill forgive it if the movie delivers though

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    Just in case you guys wonder, why I don’t publish those images. I STILL have hope and the respect for Paradox, that they will blow us away with properly shot and lit scene and costume shot. I don’t wanna help bashing the film if it’s not needed.

    Should they come out of the closet and even the prepared shots look rubbish, then I will also publish the “unofficial” pics of course.

  • m

    Guys in case you didnt read the godslayer post, Ive just learned( as Im sure you are now) that master fantasy/ conan artist frank frazetta has passed to the grey mists of valhalla.

  • Finn

    He is definitely looking more Conany. Still way too small and all the other problems, but the dreadlocks are gone, and the arms are bigger. I can accept the brown hair I guess. I’m not sure about the leather skirt. We all know this is a bad movie, but maybe it will be watchable. I am just praying there’s no woman that is told she can’t fight because she’s a woman, and then she puts on armor and sneaks into the battle and saves Conan and takes off her helmet and she shares an “I told you so” moment with him.

  • m

    like I said ,I’m really just picking at what i’m seeing.as waldgeist states, its not a professional promo shot to really get a clue as to what we’re seeing.I like his face for conan, to me anyway he passes for size ( you can see he is very tall and his man boobs indicate he has gained weight).God knows why I key in on this, but the haristyle gives him this native american( egad almost pathfinderish!!) appearance which at the least challenges my own vision on the overall look. Had the same problem with Kull( though the movie turned out laughable so I forgave it) I liked sorbos general build and appearance but the hair killed it for me, he looked as if he stepped out of whitesnake or the scorpions or something!I will say this in Momoa’s defense: he does have a one of a kind look akin to how people felt about arnie back in ’82 so it may work out.

  • serg

    we all know is is good movie!!! :)

  • Ian

    Oh dear God.
    I don’t know if to laugh or cry.
    At least i was right all along.THIS IS NOT CONAN!!!!!!
    He looks pathetic!
    :(
    And no convincing will change my opinion.
    Back to watching the old version i guess

  • m

    You know, by the time this flick actually does come out, we’re gonna be so exasperated from arguing and scrutinizing, no one’s gonna care what the movie is like, good or bad. The only other thing i was thinking about is the discussion on pastiches and canon as we were talking in other post. My personal stance is this: though i enjoy several pastiches of the nyberg decamp and carter kind ( not all some arent up to snuff) as well as the milius film and even the destroyer (as a comedy in the vein of the batman tv show,)even the comics, artwork, and tributes, I have and will always take the stance that I feel none of it is and should be considered canon in any way shape or form no matter how much i like it. Howards work on conan is the only work I will ever consider canon.which is why instead of outright hating the things i’ve heard about this movie , I’ll remain open minded, because no matter how good or bad it is…get the drift?

  • Finn

    Ian, what if we just watch it as a barbarian fantasy movie and cover our ears every time they say the word “Conan”? Then I would feel a lot better about watching it and judging it on its own merits. I guess the sets will be believable enough as Cimmeria or Stygia or wherever they go, and it doesn’t seem like they are adapting an actual story that can be fucked up. If you showed me that recent Momoa picture but didn’t tell me it was supposed to be Conan, I would never know, and I’d just say “maybe that will be a decent movie”. The only problem for me comes when you tell me that guy is supposed to be Conan.

  • m

    I apologize I’ve been ramblin alot, but it’s a bit chilly to go fishing I’ve been on vacation, there’s alot of stuff to discuss and the kids are playing nicely soooo…Look at it this way, could it be as possibly bad as red sonja, or kull? is your answer is yes, well then don’t waste your time or energy on this anymore,enjoy the things you do like about conan( howard and non howard alike)and hope that one day a movie that better suits your own visions will arrive( a hint: it won’t .sorry I think we all know that by now).not that its a bad thing at all, but your mind is made up. I can understand that , there’s things not to like in these photos . If your answer is no, it cant possibly be worse than red sonja kull or even conan the destroyer, take these with a grain of salt ( as difficult as it may seem, even I am having a difficult time comparing momoa to a younger rock rather than conan).Mr. Louniet, I presume saw more professional up close pics and was able to make a better judgment than we are, these are crude pics taken by either some rat on the set or they were leaked intentionally. I honestly can’t say I’m impressed at all,( I was more impressed when they first showed daniel craig as bond, thor looks interesting too) but I’m not in a despairing mood as I was some time back.I’ve come to realization that only howard can do conan truly in the manner I like, and with all the other stuff it’s about aprreciating what was done right and what could be better.(LIke finn said , even if they directly adapted a howard story , there would be something to gripe about. look at return of the king. the last 45 minutes of that movie was a complete cop out , and that series for what it’s worth is an excellent adaptation!!)Pictures are worth a thousand words, but these don’t tell the whole story and honestly , they shouldnt have been released.

  • Ian

    Finn :)
    The Castle of Terror
    It was a young giant,strongly built,with gliding thews that swell under sun-bronzed hide scored with the white traces of old wounds.Deep of chest and broad of shoulder and long limbs was he;his scanty costume of loincloth and sandals revealed his magnificent physigue.His chest,shoulders and back were burnt nearly as black the natives of the land.

    1)Momoa does not have the physigue described above in them photos
    2)where is the square cut black mane?
    Yer the height is correct and the sullen look.

    I’ll be honest with you,i think people are just saying to themselves OK this are Conan.So be it.
    Which is a shame :(

  • m

    Ray my rat comment is not in any way directed towards you, as you had permission i think you said and your pics did not reveal momoa, so please do not take offense.these pics look like they were taken quickly too as if the taker did not want to be caught…

  • m

    Again I’m not gonna defend momoa because his performance remains to be seen but as you said: 1) he has the height. 2)he is a bit sullen looking.but from what i see3)he has a big chest ( understatment those man boobs are close to arnolds)4) his shoulders are broad. 5) his skin is dark but you cannot see scars due to the crudeness of the pics.6) he doesnt have hulk hogans pythons but his arms are big and look strong.at 6’5″ his arms are plenty long.I agree ,the hair is a bit scorpion king to me but it beats sorbos by a mile and I’ll forgive it. Ever see the book conan the cruel around? its a book of pencil/charcol sketches by artists like darren goodacre , romero , enrique villagran, maroto( I have no idea who most of them are other than this book, Ian maybe you do as an illustrator yourself?) but there a many ways to fit the general description you qouted above, and on a base level Momoa does fit.He actually resembles some of the art in the book!The real shame is these pics should have never been released it does not help the poor perception this film has garnered. As far as my own perception, I’ll say this: as steve dilks and other know I’ll eat my feet and boil my loincloth too if the movie surprises and blows my expectations away( to me the best it could possibly be is to beat milius by a hair)and if it doesnt we all get to curse them out even more for screwing with a good thing.

  • Ian

    Fair point M, :)

    You are correct that the pics should of been kept a closed secret but alas even ledger was even snap shot on the sly when playing the joker.And this being hot news there is simply no escape :)
    I do hope the movie surprises me too but it will be so difficult not to snigger over his size over the years of looking and reading about this Legendary character who even had the strength to fight off lions in his prime.
    But i will not be the only one to judge him.None Conan fans will compare him straight away to Arnold and think what a joke.
    It’s all over the net as you will of seen that people are laughing at him saying all manner of insults regarding his size other than the Stargate fans or Baywatch girly fans :P
    And naturally when you think of such an iconic character you think
    muscles.
    So it’s a tough challenge for him.For everyone is going to scrutinize him over his lack of mass unfortunately.
    But i am sure he is aware of this already.
    Even the some of the people on the set are saying he is to skinny as Waldgeist has seen on the forums in IMDB.com :P
    Anyway,i am sorry for my negative outlook on this and don’t want to dampen peoples hopes and dreams :)
    My apologies :)

  • serg

    I dont think Howard had a bodybuilder in mind! seriously, mister olympia 1930 ?
    We have to lose that Arni-Conan cliche

  • Ray

    m, thanks for the clarification but I really didn’t think you were talking about me anyways ;)

    I agree…those pictures should have never been leaked. I’d be surprised if someone got permission to post those….especially since mine were alot better ;)

    People should realize that a story is always open to interpretation and this is a fantasy character. Conan never existed except in Howard’s and his reader’s imaginations. The only way we would ever know exactly what Conan would look like was if Howard overseen a drawing and claimed this is what he invisioned. If someone has a picture like that…please share it with us!

    Some of people here should really stop taking it so personally to the point they’re getting upset. It’s just a movie and the Conan of your imagination will always be there. Just because someone else has a different view doesn’t make yours wrong. This is exactly why a book is often much better than the movie. In some case a director will nail exactly what we invisioned and sometimes that don’t. No biggie either way, IMO. You can’t please everyone! ;)

  • m

    @Ian: there’s no need to apologize and there’s no dampening whatsoever. I have the utmost respect for your opinion and everyone else here.I was in the habit of bashing this flick whenever I heard any dirt on it , but now mymindset right now has been this: try to remain as objective as possible and take all news with a grain of salt.It’s only a movie everyone!!And By doing this I am also giving the director and producers” more rope to hang themselves with” .Ian, I myself don’t want to be the guy that says” I told you so” in the event the movie sucks. I want to say” you had plenty of opportunity to do this right and ya fucked it all up!!! you guys are full of shit and you screwed with a good thing “If it surpasses expectations I really want to say” whats next for Momoa and Conan?”Now I give Momoa a pass( for now) not because I’m in some sort of denial, but because there’s simply not enough there in those pics for me to judge, and I think it’s a little unfair to make such a judgment based on pics that seems like they were taken with haste as if the taker didnt want to get caught.As far as Conans animal fighting prowess is concerned ,look at tarzan, the guy puts a nelson on a silver back gorilla and he’s is similar in build( if not leaner ) than conan.as fans we do and have to in this case suspend disbelief, the friggin big show or mark henry from wwe would be mauled if he tried that with a wild animal, whether the men were born in civilization or no !!ten bodybuilders vs one chimp ,( a chimp not even a gorilla)lose in a tug of war and the chimp is using one arm!!!!and being that actors are not born in the wild anymore … the only guy i’ve ever heard of surviving and killing a wild animal with his bare hands is kyokushin founder mas oyama, and 1 : it’s largely a tall tale 2: the guy purportetly did 1000 pushups everymorning another tall tale.And I admit serg has a point : even though I did enjoy conan#1 if so many people didnt like it (as i’ve read here)why is arnold the standard bearer? I understand it for non conan fans who know only arnold as you’ve said, but the Howard fan, considering all of the varying artwork depicting conan from frazetta to vallejo to ken kelly (name any of em)should have an easier time. On a personal note one of my favorite depictions of the cimmerian(of many I love the different ways he’s seen) is some of the mcfarlane toys, namely the indomitable andthe cimmerian of series 1

  • m

    Thank you couldnt ve said it better. you guys are all great, and be warned when i do get on facebook I’ll be looking you guys up!har!and it was too cold to fish today!

  • serg

    Ray,you wright there!!! I think that thought was posted here several times( according me) I take it easy ( to say more I like this cast and story more that previous TV adaptation)
    Im just so dissapointed with SUCH negative attitude to movie among fans ( I read alatta news and simple people dont react that bad)

  • smith

    Does any one know what kind of accent Conan will have?

    Just curious. All the actors are Americans.

  • Ray

    smith, I believe he will have an American accent ;)

  • smith

    I hope you’re kidding

  • Finn

    m, he has gained muscle, but he is not close to mr. universe anything.

    I agree with ian. I am fine with the whole “this is the director’s and screenwriter’s interpretation of Conan” thing, and I am fine with them taking lots of liberties with the Conan universe like the movies and pastiche novels and cartoons and whatever else did, and I am fine with a half-assed script. But at some point, you have to say what the fuck, and be critical. That is natural. Many or even most of the Conan fans have already done that. Why sit and not form an opinion for a year? Here is a gallery of Conan pictures. Guess who doesn’t look like any of them?

    http://homepage.mac.com/antallan/conangal.html

    I am gonna watch the movie no matter what, but the information I read beforehand will determine whether I see it in the theater or download it.

  • serg

    Wow Finn Nice gallery :)
    But I have to admit that you’ve gone too far in your Momoa-hating, cause
    Momoa resemdles at least 30 % of images.You have to be blind not to see it

  • m

    funny i found this page before. good artwork.I dont take this stuff personally ,I didnt create conan.I am not his herald to determine whats true and not.As I’ve said my opinion is howard wrote the only true conan.I can’t say” what the fuck?” when I havent had a problem with most of what I’ve seen( or heard). My biggest gripe at this point is still the whole origin revenge point in the script which I hope can be done tastefully.I can (and will) be critical when i know what i’m looking at,when I actually see a trailer it will be easier to really make a base determination. The info we’ve all read beforehand can mean anything, good or bad. (plus I feel it cheapens the experience if I know the whole movie a freakin year before it arrives).It’s okay to get tidbits and casting rumors, and on this blog I enjoy all of the discussions not just on the conan movie.I’m likely not gonna see this until dvd,( though if the trailer blows me away, i’ll make an effort to get out there) just on the basis that i dont go much these days other than maybe taking my daughters to see shrek or toy story.Stories, rumors, set pics, you(or anyone else
    ) can’t possibly really see the whole picture to make a sound judgment. Besides reread my comments.I have made very base observations and formed opinions on just that, but with that said.. what I have seen, I have to say I haven’t had much of a problem with. I’m probably a minority in this,I have no prob with the set pics, I think when seen in the proper context they’ll look decent.As far as Momoa is concerned I’ll reiterate but i’ll be more specific 1) I like his face for the part. The low brow ,arched eyebrows cheekbones and squared jaw definitely bears some semblance to depictions of conan.I am not crazy about the hair it makes him look too exotic for what they’re aiming for ,but it’s difficult to see,so I can forgive it once I see a better shot.There’s a sullen expression on his face in the horse pic that can work for the character, but again its hard to see. he has a unique facial structure, like arnold did in 82. he doesnt look like arnold at all but it works2)The man is 6foot 5inches,thats roughly 3 or four inches taller than arnold and though he is not as big as say wrestler triple h( hes about the same height,Is that what everyone wants?)but by no means is he a small guy, he has broad shoulders a huge chest, and large biceps, I dont know what everyone is seeing otherwise, and how many of you are that big to even compare?( besides you ray:) and when put in the right conditions, can be convincing.I see a pantherishness in the look that can work. The only point of weakness I can observe in his physique is ( a big maybe) his forearms appear small.the pics make it hard for me to tell.And thats it! there’s nothing else to tell cause there’s nothing else there!Finn ,I listen to people I respect them, but I just don’t go with the flow based on what other message boards are saying about Momoa. I’m not sitting here defending him because i think it’s not fair how he’s being bashed and his feelings might be hurt.I couldnt give a fuck about momoas feelings!no way he’s a pro doing a job and shouldn’t give two shits what we have to say saying about him either. He’s gotta get the character in his head out, we can’t do it for him. I sit here because simply there isn’t enough to judge

  • m

    to clarify I meant by my last statement, these observations are not enough to pass judgment on a movie, only actually seeing the movie , and judging it for what it is . Trailers can either give it all away ( as most do unfortunately) or give a good indicationif whats in store and once more IT’S ONLY A FREAKIN MOVIE!!!!!!!!

  • Rabensblut

    Actualy, Momo on those pictures reminds me of the picture town of skulls by Luis Royo. (You can find it in the beforementioned gallery)

  • Finn

    one two three four I declare a thumb war

    alright, I will try not to talk bad about momoa anymore. It’s just so easy and natural, since I don’t see the resemblance. Not 30%, not the Luis Royo Conan, not even Conan the Librarian. We all look at him and see completely different things apparently. But momoa is who we got. After the movie is finished filming he will sneak into the houses of the people who criticized him, riding a horse, and bash our skulls in with a ball and chain.

  • serg

    Probably he will :)
    Anyway never forget that in could be Lutz

  • Hobie

    Finn, I think you’re thinking of William Wallace. :-)

  • Ian

    I’ll be ready and waiting for him.
    Stealthing on the ceiling with a set of shuriken stars at the ready :P

  • kingi
  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    It’s such a damn shame, that the production team doesn’t finally get to their grip and release those pictures properly resoluted.

  • Anthony

    I think those look pretty darn cool. Like I’ve said before, even if the movie totally sucks Momoa does cut a striking figure as Conan.

  • Steve Dilks

    Agreed. Take a look at that shot of Conan in mid-leap on the beach.What the hell is that thing behind the hapless warrior about to be cleaved? A skeletal arm and hand? Squint as I might I can’t fathom it out. Oh by the way Waldgeist I guess I must own up to being a little too anal in my opinions of tiger riding warriors in Khitai. Just please, for Crom’s sake, no samurai! Us at the idiot Howard Purity Puritan Society for the Pedantic simply won’t stand for such jarring anachorisms.

  • Finn

    Momoa is slowly inching toward looking like an acceptable Conan. His triceps and delts seem to have grown considerably. Now he has enough muscle to play the beastmaster, or a 15 year old Conan. Those hollywood trainers are damn good. These pictures are a good sign, since all of us are going to have to sit through the movie regardless of our reservations about it. If we are having a birthday party, and our mother didn’t get us the chocolate ice cream we wanted, the old strawberry ice cream that’s been sitting in the back of the freezer is better than no ice cream at all.

  • Steve Dilks

    Finn you just swiped that from a wizened old Khitian proverb didn’t you? Go on admit it.

  • Ray

    What did I tell ya guys ;)

    I agree! Those first pictures leaked of Momoa were TERRIBLE! As you can see in the latest pics…he does look much better than many previously thought. He’s not perfect, IMO…but he will do well. I still wish he had about 30 more pounds of muscle on him and wish the hairstylist would have given him more of a square cut mane but I definitely think he’s going to pull it off better than what many previously thought.

  • STEFAN

    Yes,the only problem is his hair.It must be straight and black.
    And they should add a few scars too.Other than that, he looks pretty good Conan to me.

  • Ian

    Ive just looked at them photos and also starting to come round with some self persuasion that this after all is a young Conan.I do like the two close up pictures of him now.And that one of him in mid air looks cool.And Steve,that thing that you cannot make out looks to me zoomed in looks like the fabric of a canopy or it could but i don’t think,part of Momoa’s skirt.
    But,to ease everyones mind especially M.I am starting to come round on Momoa.But ever so slowly :P hehe

  • smith

    Ray

    Seriously, what kind of accent will Conan have?

  • STEFAN

    Hawaiian accent,of course.

  • m

    the pics I have are brighter. its some sort of garb conans soon to be dead pal has on. it looks like it has an eastern or mid eastern influence to it.Ian please bear in mind I’m not trying to convince anyone on Momoas pluses or minuses ,his performance remains to be seen. all I was saying on those first pics is they were of too poor a quality to make a proper judgment.Like I said I’m not worried nor am I blown away.My minds always at ease, I have to beautiful daughters to play with when I finish here.( my little one was giggling at the action pic. great.) but I am more impressed today than I was yesterday,with these newer pics give a better idea as to whats up. And from what I can gather,as I ve said in waay past posts, that at the very least Nispel is capable( capable , doesnt mean he will,but he is capable) of delivering a very visually arresting flick.And based on the swordplay compostions alone,it seems like there wont be any of that fight trickery/slo-mo stuff you saw in 300 or the matrix. that photo they caught of conan about to kill that guy is in itself alone, an excellent composition that conjures up some of the fantasy art we all know and enjoy.It suggests Milius on speed, if i had to make a comparison. the shape of those rocks, the beach, broad daylight and what looks to be a savage and quick killer stroke with an expression on its owners face that sends a chill down my spine( thats my favorite pic obviously.)If the mood and acting and script can match that visual, we may be in for a good time.it’s like I said and as Ray has pointed out, wait for substantial stuff to come out before we rush to judgment good or bad.And Ray I totally agree about the hair, but you know what,it’s one small thing I can overlook. I personally don’t care what conan’s accent is as long as it’s not Arnies( love the flick and his accent, but that was then)delivers his lines naturally( not woodenly) and as long as he sounds like a MAN!!!

  • m

    Theres alot of posts on this one, should we all carry over to the frazetta thread? I don’t know the ettiqutte for this stuff…

  • Ian

    I agree,theres a lot of posts on this thread M.
    I know your not trying to convince anyone here M.Your keeping an open mind which i am starting to do myself after seeing them four pics today.Which as i am quite happy about.
    Gonna jump to the other thread after this for future comments :)

  • serg

    Momoa does look great-hair is fine with me! mark my words-we’ll all come running.
    First Momoa was the issue-he seems to prove wrong;
    now the script is the isuue—in course of time we’ll start to see other character images,which as well be outstanding and even later the clips….an attitude will change again

  • http://www.ageofconan.com Waldgeist

    @Steve there are no samurai in Khitai. All the armor and cultures you see in Khitai are based on ancient Korea and China and in the case of Vendya on old indian designs.

  • Ray

    Smith,

    I seriously don’t know for sure because when I was there Jason wasn’t being filmed. The actors I did hear speak weren’t trying to speak with any particular acent, so I’m still gonna stick with the American accent I mentioned earlier.

  • MikeHatethiswholething

    I was down on this BIG! I have read every Howard story (a couple of times each) I collected Savage Sword and Conan the Barbarian comics and i loved the Arnie movie when it came out when I was nine…(I saw it in the theatres and own 2 copies), so I can say with some “authority” I still have issues with the plot of the script (although, since I have not read it my opinion is all conjecture) THESE photo’s look great!!! Yes, his hair is curly, yes it isn’t black, yes I’d like blue eyes and maybe I’d like him to be bigger and more ripped, and have ahost of old battle scars, but come on his image and his voice (it’s deep as pictish war drums) presents much hope. The first round of pics sucked…but these are VERY hopeful. I am a bodybuilder 200lbs at 5’8”. I bench over 3 for reps and squat over 4 for reps. Momoa at 6’5” with that size is an impossing image…mark my words on that. Arnie is about 6′ or 6’1” and was 240 for the movie. Size (height)makes up alot for mass. There is still alot to questions…and alot to be worried about. Thes new pics http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/101242-more-photos-of-jason-momoa-as-conan are not among them.
    “Let teachers and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content.”
    — Robert E. Howard

  • m

    @mikehatesthiswholething: I agree about the height/size thing completely.As long as doesnt talk like mickey mouse , I’m not worried about the voice or accent.

  • http://deleted Stampfer

    There has been (and will be) so much talk about possible weaknesses, problems and lost opportunities during the making of the new Conan movie, but there might be another danger lurking out there: Rival fantasy movies!
    One example is Immortals, starring Henry Cavill (The Tudors) as Theseus, Mickey Rourke (did he left Conan to star in this movie?) as King Hyperion, Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) as Phaedra, Kellan Lutz (another link to Conan) as Poseidon, John Hurt and Stephen Dorff. The movie formerly known as War Of Gods is directed by Tarsem Singh, who is famous for his strong and impressive visual style (The Cell, The Fall).
    The story seems more reminiscent of Clash Of The Titans than of Conan, but the general expectation of fans of the fantasy genre is that this new adventure movie will be superior (comparing it with the disappointing remake of Clash). The physical presence of Henry Cavill seems impressive and his body is in good shape – it could be a breakthrough performance for the talented young actor who was once considered for the roles of Batman and James Bond. Jason Momoa isn’t the only one who grew up during the last months (by the way: compliment from a couch-potato!).
    There is a major difference between Immortals and Conan in matters of promotion and marketing, because the “Greeks” presented early official photos of the main actors and video clips showing the director at work. You can take a look here: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=66090
    Immortals is coming in 3-D and 2-D to cinemas at November 11, 2011. Will this movie cross the swords with Conan?

  • bitney

    I’ve been keeping up with site for a few months now to get my Hyborian fix, I’m excited about the new flick. Some of the news is upsetting though especially about the story thats going to be depicted. Why re-invent stories of a character to hollywoodize it when the original stories are just as strange and fantastic in the first place.
    Howards Conan was dark and gritty never with a gaggle of goofy side kicks. His love interest were short and sweet except for Belit. He lived and extremley spartan life, and had a wander lust un-matched.

    I think they will take the easy way out, because to get the feel of Howards Conan would be to costly. I remember reading in one of REH shorts of him being chased through the pictish wilderness after being shipwrecked, trying to reach the Bossinian Marshes. Wow what a chase seen that would be if they could duplicate that imagery burned into my personal memory. Pushing him to the limits for survival. Thats what I want to see, him doing things that others could not even imagine, but barely pulling it off. The cliffhangers in the books is why we admire Conan.

    I’m glad to see others that share the same devotion as myself. This Site is great keep up the good work.

  • m

    look at it this way: everything is hollywoodized. hollywood wants to reach a mainstream audience outside the core group while pleasing the fans to a point.as a side result it can make new fans who discover the roots. even the flicks we find true to the source ( one flew over the cuckoos nest , the exorcist) are hollywoodized, its a different storytelling medium and they must see things that either cant or shouldnt be done to appeal to all. few flicks dare to really stay true to the source though i appreciate it when they do and it seems comic and pulp sotries are the ones changed the most.Even batman is hollywoodized( though I think its the really rare case where the flicks are better than the comics )

  • serg

    dont worry its gonna blast

  • http://www.thelaughingman.tv Dianagarcia

    Interesting breakdown. I hope I see all of you on that list one day.

    Thanks for the great article! There is hope for us bloggers out there! All the best!

    ridiculous

  • Sarah

    Really cool! Thanks for all these comments! And thanks a lot @diana for sharing this hilarious site!

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