Netflix Is Making A 'Conan The Barbarian' Series

The streamer is developing a project based on Robert E. Howard's pulp stories. It stems from a deal between Netflix and Conan Properties International, which is owned by Fredrik Malmberg's Cabinet Entertainment. Pathfinder Media, headed by Malmberg and Mark Wheeler, will produce.

The deal gives Netflix the option to acquire rights to Howard's catalog and develop both series and feature films, either live action or animated. The series project is a live action.

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I LOVE the Conan the Barbarian movies (Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer, not so much Red Sonja and definitely not the 2011 remake). They're some of the ultimate dudes rock movies that combines mindless violence with great hyperbolic screenwriting. Are the effects a little cheesy and the over-the-top? Sure! But who cares when you're watching peak-performance Arnold cut and fuck his way across a fantasy landscape? Also, James Earl Jones delivered a legitimately great performance by any metric as Thulsa Doom. 

I think that this sort of story actually lends really well to a series. There is a rich lore that already exists to draw from, and a huge existing audience that loves anything fantasy. Considering the success Netflix was able to find with 'The Witcher' (Which was far from perfect but definitely entertaining) I think Netflix could nail this. Make sure to nail the titular casting, give it enough of a budget and get some top-tier fight choreo guys and this should run great. 

We recently interviewed Oliver Stone, who wrote the first movie, and he was adamant that he thinks the pulp series will make a legitimately great movie one day if made without too much red tape.