David St-Michel
Mongoose
No... No it won't.
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Conan Characters Revealed for the New Conan Movie
- Thread starter Strom
- Start date
It might be fun, to be fair, if fun is your bag of fish. But I think it's safe to say it won't have much authentic Conan flavour. Which is a shame. You can see what they're trying to do though, appeal to a wide audience. I'm slightly surprised they didn't decide to use Valeria as suitable love interest (as being the most combat slanted of Conan's women). I think you could cobble a decent enough plot out of (say):
Conan escaping from the villain (Thoth Ammon)'s soldiers by leaping onto a merchant vessel.
Do the Belit story.
Have him meet up with Valeria by chance in the aftermath and the two of them stumble through the jungle.
Do Red Nails
After, have them go to Khoraja, with Valeria being slain on the way (saving Conan in the process)
Do Black Colossus, but with Thoth Ammon as the baddie.
That way you get three leading ladies of different types, including a fighting woman, a big set-piece battle at the end and monsters too.
Conan escaping from the villain (Thoth Ammon)'s soldiers by leaping onto a merchant vessel.
Do the Belit story.
Have him meet up with Valeria by chance in the aftermath and the two of them stumble through the jungle.
Do Red Nails
After, have them go to Khoraja, with Valeria being slain on the way (saving Conan in the process)
Do Black Colossus, but with Thoth Ammon as the baddie.
That way you get three leading ladies of different types, including a fighting woman, a big set-piece battle at the end and monsters too.
I didn't like 300 not so much because of the messing with history (because almost all films mess with their source material to varying degrees), but because it was so cartoonish (which I guess it would be, being based on a cartoon). So I couldn't even enjoy it as an action film, it was too over the top.
I understand you cant make a 24 hour long movie to cover everything. And that you have to sell to a popular audience. But there have been a number of reasonably good historical movies that did well. It just seems that people just cant let the story be and have to twist it so they can put thier own stamp on it.
You would think that the story of around 7000 Greeks standing off 200000 or so Persians for 3 days would be incredible enough. If it had not happened nobody would believe it. They set the standard for western armys from there on out. No special effects needed.
You would think that the story of around 7000 Greeks standing off 200000 or so Persians for 3 days would be incredible enough. If it had not happened nobody would believe it. They set the standard for western armys from there on out. No special effects needed.
yeah, I'd like to see someone do Conan in the way Master and Commander was done, a mish-mash of storylines from various O'Brian books, but staying true enough to the flavour of the writing and only changing the essence of the characters a little (Aubrey was just a bit too 'matey' with his officers and men at times, but that was forgiveable).
I think Black Colossus has the best potential for being made into a feature.
Sinister tomb-raiderish intro bit of foreshadowing with the thief opening the tomb etc.
Cue the opening credits as we see Conan as part of Amalric's mercenaries riding to Korajah in search of work
Cut to the Princess and have one of her advisers give her a run down of the political situation and run with it from there.
We have Conan at his barbaric best, plus fancy "General Conan", a sinister villain, big battles, some cool magic/special effects w/ the BBEG and a happy Hollywood ending.
I think the only thing they'd need to change would be the title, because I've always hated that title. It doesn't really have jack-all to do with the story. Maybe call it Conan the Barbarian: Shadows of Archeron or something. They do love those colons in Hollywood.
Sinister tomb-raiderish intro bit of foreshadowing with the thief opening the tomb etc.
Cue the opening credits as we see Conan as part of Amalric's mercenaries riding to Korajah in search of work
Cut to the Princess and have one of her advisers give her a run down of the political situation and run with it from there.
We have Conan at his barbaric best, plus fancy "General Conan", a sinister villain, big battles, some cool magic/special effects w/ the BBEG and a happy Hollywood ending.
I think the only thing they'd need to change would be the title, because I've always hated that title. It doesn't really have jack-all to do with the story. Maybe call it Conan the Barbarian: Shadows of Archeron or something. They do love those colons in Hollywood.
Yogah of Yag
Mongoose
Demetrio said:
I was very impressed with M&C, but I've heard a lot of grumbling from readers of O'Brien's novels, as well as life-long naval historians. As maritime movies go, I feel strongly that it is perhaps the best I've yet seen. I understand how the readers may be ticked off, but they have less to complain about than we do with Conan the Destroyer.
If the material released so far is any indication, the sh!t is going to hit the fan and REH's name is going to get splattered with it. That's the big shame. Yet again we fans are going to have to say "No, the movie is NOT really Conan. Here. Read these books of REH's original stories. THAT is the real Conan." I've been saying that for years and will probably have to do that long into the future.
I'm surprised anyone who's read O'Brian's novels grumbles about the film to be honest. It was as close to capturing the essence of the books as one could hope to manage in 2 hours. Aubrey's character was changed slightly but not beyond recognition. Lots more stuff could have gone in of course, but only by removing other good stuff. I guess some people might have been disappointed that the film was not the plot of Master and Commander the novel, rather a mish-mash of elements of many of the books.
And if naval historians are annoyed with it, I trust they never go to see any other picture set in the age of sail... again, on the whole, it was as authentic as one is going to get. O'Brian himself played fast and loose with strict historical chronology to serve the needs of his plot.
But, sadly, it appears that once again a Conan film will be made with no more than a passing nod to Howard's original works.
And if naval historians are annoyed with it, I trust they never go to see any other picture set in the age of sail... again, on the whole, it was as authentic as one is going to get. O'Brian himself played fast and loose with strict historical chronology to serve the needs of his plot.
But, sadly, it appears that once again a Conan film will be made with no more than a passing nod to Howard's original works.
I first read M&C when it came out in hardback, way long ago. I have not read all the books in the series, but many of them. I did not have a big problem with it. Certainly it was much better done than it could have been.
I am not sure Jack Aubry would have as much popular appeal as Russel Crowe did. So, they sold tickets but still managed to make a god movie. To bad others dont realize it is possible.
I am not sure Jack Aubry would have as much popular appeal as Russel Crowe did. So, they sold tickets but still managed to make a god movie. To bad others dont realize it is possible.
Yogah of Yag
Mongoose
Demetrio said:
Over on theminiaturespage.com there are a lot of genuinely knowledgeable gents, some of whom are undoubtedly academically-affiliated authorities, but with a good number of posters being naught else than 'armchair generals/admirals' (myself included!
).I've posted most of my angst-ridden, bile-soaked comments over at conan.com, so I'll not repeat them here.
As 100% of all posters around the 'Net feel, this new film is looking like it will destroy the franchise, ruin REH's name and dig us a hole so deep that we'll never be able to have a real, faithful adaptation.
They need to give us an emoticon which displays overwhelming, volcanic rage followed by profound, interminable grief. This: :evil:
is just not enough.David St-Michel
Mongoose
I would not be willing to bet on that.
I have seen a LOT of adaptations from books/games/cartoons to the big screen...
And most of them scare me.
Speed racer, anyone?
Dead or Alive?
Street Fighter?
Resident Evil?
Silent Hill?
IMHO, they got two actors who got the Batman role right out of the plethora of Batman movies.
In the course of three Transformers movies I've seen (the cartoon movie from 1986, followed be the two recent ones), they've managed to kill Optimus Prime. Twice.
I consider Lord of the Rings to be a faithful adaptation of the synopsis, if simply because it would've been damn too expensive to make 14 movies that are all 4 hours long.
Now, I'm far from being a movie buff. I've seen perhaps 50-60 movies in my life, tops. But I've read a whole damn lot of books, and played a bucketload of games. "Faithful adaptation" is something that when I read, I immediately suck in my lips like if I just bit into a ripe lemon. Like I KNOW something's gonna go bad. Like I FEEL it coming to slap my face with an old halibut.
I've seen Conan the Barbarian. If anything, it has the Conan "feel". Folks are grimy and dirty. There's dirty sex. People die in nasty fits of blood. Okay, there are flaws, but at least there's an ambiance. An atmosphere.
Conan the Destroyer... ...no comment.
And this one? ...I get that same "lemon-sucking" face again.
It's not fear. It's aprehension. Like slipping into the ring with Holyfield. Oh, you might get lucky and land a few blows... ...But chances are it's gonna be a short, painful night.
I have seen a LOT of adaptations from books/games/cartoons to the big screen...
And most of them scare me.
Speed racer, anyone?
Dead or Alive?
Street Fighter?
Resident Evil?
Silent Hill?
IMHO, they got two actors who got the Batman role right out of the plethora of Batman movies.
In the course of three Transformers movies I've seen (the cartoon movie from 1986, followed be the two recent ones), they've managed to kill Optimus Prime. Twice.
I consider Lord of the Rings to be a faithful adaptation of the synopsis, if simply because it would've been damn too expensive to make 14 movies that are all 4 hours long.
Now, I'm far from being a movie buff. I've seen perhaps 50-60 movies in my life, tops. But I've read a whole damn lot of books, and played a bucketload of games. "Faithful adaptation" is something that when I read, I immediately suck in my lips like if I just bit into a ripe lemon. Like I KNOW something's gonna go bad. Like I FEEL it coming to slap my face with an old halibut.
I've seen Conan the Barbarian. If anything, it has the Conan "feel". Folks are grimy and dirty. There's dirty sex. People die in nasty fits of blood. Okay, there are flaws, but at least there's an ambiance. An atmosphere.
Conan the Destroyer... ...no comment.
And this one? ...I get that same "lemon-sucking" face again.
It's not fear. It's aprehension. Like slipping into the ring with Holyfield. Oh, you might get lucky and land a few blows... ...But chances are it's gonna be a short, painful night.
David St-Michel said:
I hope you're right, that at least if the movie sux it'll be short. But looking at it like movie studios who saw the ma$$ive profits of LotR it seems 3 hours is a requirement for anything with a sword & sorcery in it.
The casting call notes leave me with the same apprehensions. While I agree the tone of Conan the Barbarian was spot on, the characters were so far removed as to be unrecognizable from the source writings. This movie needed a Peter Jackson to make it. He was a fan of the LotR before he was a director. It looks like what we're getting is not that but just another shill director looking to get his name out and tell the story HE wants to tell with a licensed character.
Movie update: The Cimmerian noted that the movie had a major rewrite of the “insipid quagmire of mediocrity and ineptitude calling itself a script” (not a good sign, but hopefully it would be good); Mickey Rourke is going to play Corin (Conan's father); kickboxer Bob Sapp is going to play one of the villains Ukafa; and Jason Momoa says he is going to sport chest hair for the role because Conan is “a drunken f**king hairy animal!”, is “not going to take anything from [Schwarzenegger’s performance]” and that he is “going to keep things true to Mr. Howard.”
I really hope the first news works out well, and the last part sounds like the best news I heard in a while!
I really hope the first news works out well, and the last part sounds like the best news I heard in a while!
