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Conan The Barbarian – Netflix Developing Live-Action Series: Report

Published Wed, 30 Sep 2020 11:59:31 -0500

by Ray Flook

Last updated Wed, 30 Sep 2020 12:01:23 -0500

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In a move that could end up breaking the internet with fanfic pairing possibilities with Henry Cavill's The Witcher, Deadline Hollywood is reporting exclusively that Netflix is developing a live-action series based on Robert E. Howard's iconic sword-and-sorcery character Conan. Reportedly stemming from Fredrik Malmberg and Mark Wheeler's Pathfinder Media, the series would be the first project under the deal between Netflix and Conan Properties International (owned by Malmberg's Cabinet Entertainment). Under the terms of the deal, the streaming service would have the exclusive option to access rights to the Conan literary library and develop works across television and film (both live-action and animated).

Netflix is looking to add the franchise to other globally-recognized IP "tentpoles" in order to create "universes" of television and film projects. Other IPs that Netflix is looking to include Roald Dahl's series of novels, "The Chronicles of Narnia" books, and comics publisher Millarworld (in particular, dysfunctional superhero family series adaptation, Jupiter's Legacy). Malmberg and Wheeler will serve as executive producers on the potential series through their Pathfinder Media, while a search is currently underway for a writer/showrunner to write the series and a director to take the helm.

In 1932, Howard introduced Conan the Barbarian (aka the Cimmerian) in a series of short stories published in Weird Tales magazine. His epic sword-and-sorcery tales would go on to inspire a righteous amount of spinoffs, adaptations, and merchandising for over three-quarters of a century: comic books, novels, feature films, television series, video games, collectibles, toys, and a ton more. On the big screen, Arnold Schwarzenegger would go on to immortalize the character in 1982's Conan the Barbarian and 1984 sequel Conan the Destroyer. Jason Mamoa (Justice League) took on the title role in 2011's Conan the Barbarian reboot (produced by Malmberg). On the small screen, animated series Conan the Adventurer and spinoff Conan and the Young Warriors ran from 1992-94, with the live-action syndicated series Conan the Adventurer premiering in 1997 with Ralf Möller as the lead.