[Evil Thoth-Amon]

Quote

I think you're confusing the terms "prehistoric" with "stone age".

Prehistoric means just that: pre-recorded history. In the context of REH's writings at least, it has nothing to do with technology.

But, you are agree with my statement or not?

I think that everyone will be agree that, in the previous 4 movies, the hyborian world looks awful. Like an empty desert (in "Destroyer", an empty desert with toy buildings). We have not the marvelous towers nor the outstanding temples that appear in the original tales. That the kind of things that i want to see in the new film.

[crossplain pilgrim]

I agree with you Evil, if I might put in my two cents. I hope that the budget of this film will allow the producers to portray Conan's world as REH portrayed it in the stories. One of my rationalizations for maintaining something approaching optimism about the film is that it will have terrific production values, great art direction, excellent costume design, realistic effects and action good enough to overcome the weaknesses in the script. It's a lot of rationalization, but for now it's working.

[Gin-Wulf]

is it to late to at least PLEASE change to just killing conans tribe , or a few tribes, not the entire race of cimmerians.
i for one would like that whole angle dropped but if you gotta do it then PLEASE< PLEASE ,PLEASE dont wipe out the entire race

[amsterdamaged]

Evil Thoth-Amon, on Jun 14 2009, 06:54 PM, said:

But, you are agree with my statement or not?

I think that everyone will be agree that, in the previous 4 movies, the hyborian world looks awful. Like an empty desert (in "Destroyer", an empty desert with toy buildings). We have not the marvelous towers nor the outstanding temples that appear in the original tales. That the kind of things that i want to see in the new film.

crossplain pilgrim said:

I agree with you Evil, if I might put in my two cents. I hope that the budget of this film will allow the producers to portray Conan's world as REH portrayed it in the stories. One of my rationalizations for maintaining something approaching optimism about the film is that it will have terrific production values, great art direction, excellent costume design, realistic effects and action good enough to overcome the weaknesses in the script. It's a lot of rationalization, but for now it's working.

Back in '82, they didn't have the technological advances that they have now. The Milius film was shot in Spain, and the Zamora scenes were apparently shot in a real walled medieval town (you're from Spain, right E T-A? Have you ever scouted out any of the locations?). Frankly, I think they achieved a pretty good (and fairly accurate) representation of the Hyborian world, based on the resources they had to work with. Ditto for CtD. My problem with either film was never so much the look of them, but was more based on the story, and in the case of CtD, the overall tone of the film.

Nowadays, if they want to achieve "shining cities that lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars", it will require state of the art CGI, or a combination of CGI and miniatures. It shouldn't be to hard to achieve on a $100 million dollar budget.

[Evil Thoth-Amon]

Quote

Back in '82, they didn't have the technological advances that they have now. The Milius film was shot in Spain, and the Zamora scenes were apparently shot in a real walled medieval town (you're from Spain, right E T-A? Have you ever scouted out any of the locations?).

OF COURSE i scouted the locations!! In fact, there are some places that are "must see" for the geeks like me. But in Spain we have much more than dirty rocks and empty deserts.

Quote

Nowadays, if they want to achieve "shining cities that lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars", it will require state of the art CGI, or a combination of CGI and miniatures. It shouldn't be to hard to achieve on a $100 million dollar budget.

I´m not agree. Look at the fifties EPIC movies like Ben Hur, Quo Vadis, Cleopatra... This movies don´t need lots of CGI to put a marvelous world in the screen.


I must say that i LIKE Millius film... but i like much more REH works.

This post has been edited by Evil Thoth-Amon: 15 June 2009 - 01:07 AM

[Haemogoblin]

I really hope they don't CGI the movie much. CGI just ruins movies.

[amsterdamaged]

Evil Thoth-Amon, on Jun 14 2009, 08:06 PM, said:

I´m not agree. Look at the fifties EPIC movies like Ben Hur, Quo Vadis, Cleopatra... This movies don´t need lots of CGI to put a marvelous world in the screen.

Cleopatra was a financial disaster for 20th Century Fox, and nearly bankrupt the company. And it effectively killed the sword and sandal epic as a film genre for two generations. It cost 40 million to produce in in 1963. In today's dollars, that would be $300 million. There's no way that any studio today is going to fork over the kind of cash required to build massive sets and costume thousand of extras when the same effect can be achieve using modern methods.

Haemogoblin said:

I really hope they don't CGI the movie much. CGI just ruins movies.

I don't think CGI ruined Gladiator, or Troy. In fact, I would argue that the only reason the sword and sandal epic has made a comeback is because studios now have these cost effective methods at their disposal.

And Return of the King had some of the most mind blowing and spectacular scenes ever caught on film, easily rivaling or even topping anything DeMille or David Lean managed to put on celuloid. True, that's just my opinion, but it did win 11 Academy Awards.

This post has been edited by amsterdamaged: 15 June 2009 - 01:45 AM

[Fredrikmalmberg]

Where to start… I think by saying that the reason we have not been saying much up to date is because nothing was ready. No need to comment on something which is just an internet rumour, no matter how close to the source it comes from. Now that we are embarking on the next phase, WE can start telling some FACTS.

Scripts go thru many drafts before they are finished. Believe me, I was laughing out loud when I read somewhere that people thought all Cimmerians would be wiped out by werewolves and Conan was the Chosen One to avenge all Cimmerians. No no no. You will surely know more about the plot, characters, and environs as we progress but for now I can tell you that our writers know their REH. They knew it long before they met me too. I know one of their fathers introduced the Howard stuff to him when he was reading the comics. Most kids that grew up in the 70’s and read comics were introduced to Conan thru the Marvel series, some progressed to the novels but even they were filled with non-Howard stuff. The unabridged REH Conan stories were not published until quite recently.

We approach this project much the same as we did with the MMORPG “Age of Conan”. That was also a project which spanned over many years (6 to be exact) and employed hundreds of people (still employs 120 or so) and in my mind is a good representation of what Hyboria could have looked like yet with some compromises to make it work as a game.

We liase with the other companies involved, Millennium and Lionsgate, so it is a large group and everyone comes from a different angle with a different role. My angle has always been that this is R rated, that we should not have a “star” portray Conan and that we rely less on CGI. Some other executives may have a different opinion but believe me that there is too much money involved to take any decision lightheartedly. We are all making this film because we think Conan has a huge potential audience out there, and we want to keep making more movies after this one so it has to be good!

With a filmmaker on board, our jobs shift to support him in all his efforts. It is a giant task to direct a movie of this scope. Hopefully I can convince him to spill some information to all of you in the course of production because I know you are all hungry for it and anxious that we not screw this up. The first real opportunity is around Comicon end of July. We will see if we can get a few words before then for you guys.

[Gin-Wulf]

WOW , this now fills me with hope
im very grateful you have taken the time to come hear and calm down us fans(well most ,, i hope )
i eagerly await some "real" leaked information now
but seriously thank you for posting

[crossplain pilgrim]

Wow. Extremely well spoken, Mr. Malmberg. A thousand sighs of reliefs, a probably a few shouts of joy, just echoes across the forum.

[sinisterguido]

We want to believe.

[Almuric]

Mr. Malmberg: I certainly hope that's true. And thank you for taking the time to speak with the fans. It really means a lot to know that someone involved with the project is paying attention.

[JimmyPSHayes]

Just as everyone else, I thank you very much. Here's hoping that you can get some kind of presentation together for comicon. That's the perfect place for announcements!

[amsterdamaged]

Fredrikmalmberg, on Jun 14 2009, 09:29 PM, said:

Scripts go thru many drafts before they are finished. Believe me, I was laughing out loud when I read somewhere that people thought all Cimmerians would be wiped out by werewolves and Conan was the Chosen One to avenge all Cimmerians. No no no.

[Ironhand]

Yaaaayyyyyyyy! And Huzzahhh!

[Waldgeist]

But... Ok ok... not going to pull a sceptical german one on you hihi.. absolutely GREAT NEWS!

This post has been edited by Waldgeist: 15 June 2009 - 05:17 AM

[crossplain pilgrim]

I've already posted on Mr. Malmberg's recent appearance on the forum, but it is such good news I wanted to say a little more. Maybe just to hear my own words. I was thinking how in just a few days we have gone from deep discouragement at how things were going, to the recent but positive news that includes: the signing of a director, the certainty (well, as certain as anything gets among the twists and turns of this film's progress) that the film will begin production within a few months, and then Mr. Malmberg's dispelling of some of our worst fears about the script. Some change. I have been accused (not without reason) of being too optimistic about this film, but I think a little optimism is permissible at this point. I intend to enjoy it while it lasts. Who knows how we will be feeling six weeks from now.

I think it would be great if Mr. Malmberg could convince his director to come on this forum. I wasn't around when Michael J. Bassett appeared on behalf of "Solomon Kane." Mr. Malmberg implied there might be some sort of participation in the San Diego Comic.com on behalf of the film. That will have my friend thundarr doing back flips when he reads the news. I might try a couple, myself.

[PainBrush]

Fredrikmalmberg said:

With a filmmaker on board, our jobs shift to support him in all his efforts. It is a giant task to direct a movie of this scope. Hopefully I can convince him to spill some information to all of you in the course of production because I know you are all hungry for it and anxious that we not screw this up. The first real opportunity is around Comicon end of July. We will see if we can get a few words before then for you guys.

I'm not sure anybody else would agree , but I don't really care if any 'insider' info gets spilled to us or not , I actually hope nix is the word until the movie is released , I hope they have armed guards stationed around the studio in Bulgaria or wherever(?) to make sure no clips get leaked early . What I really would like is to hear from Nispel and/or screenwriter/s 'anything' about what they personally take away from REH's Conan & other stories , that is 'if' they are actually Howard fans & not just the comicbook/mass-market P-G rated Conan of the '80s & '90's . It is pretty good to hear that at least one of the writers was a youngster fan of actual REH stories , it seems to me that of all the long-time fans of Conan/REH who grasped the material when in their 'teenage angst' years & have remained fans all these years are the most loyal fans ( & I guess 'consumers' ?) . You can just check out the couple topics about how old the members here are & see which people are the ones who still post here regularly , - us slightly older fans ( did I just say that ? I admitted to being a mere mortal ?! ) - meaning slightly older than the strictly video-game generation , or folks who just watched C.T.B. & had no idea there was all this other stuff . Kids that pop in out of curiosity & never come back .

Not that I really expect a busy director , or screenwriters to take the time to banter back & forth with us nitpicking & opinionated fans , but howsabout that old 'one-word-to-the-wise-will-suffice' cliche' , maybe tell them guys to drop something a little deeper about the subject matter the next time they talk to anybody in the media ? It's amazing how stuff like that can get around when it's positive , what do they call it now -going 'viral' ?
Batman grossed a BILLION dollars ! -Okay I like Batman well enough , & 'Dark Knight' was one of the best movies I've seen in some time , a great 'dark fantasy' , but c'mon it's BATMAN ! ..........REH's Conan OWNS DARK FANTASY !

Maybe I'm just goofy ( okay , I'm actually nuts ) but I think a great Conan movie that doesn't stray from his origins ( the way Howard wrote him originally ) - it should blow Dark Knight & Titanic out of the water at the box office . Look at the most popular & highest grossing movies of the past 4/5 years or so & it's VERY evident that more intelligent, adult intellect movies are floating to the top overt the racing-cars , shoot-em-up , flash-bang kids movies . A huge chunk of those top grossing movies are 'exactly' fantasy flicks too , Batman Begins , Dark Knight , Hellboy 2 , L.O.t.r. , Pirates O/T Carribean 1,2,3 , even the Harry Potter movies geared towards kid audiences - you have to admit -they are done with a seriousness , writing & production values that makes sure parents don't feel dumb for taking their kids to see them . These are all 'fantasy' movies , escapist entertainment , but done intelligently . The fantasy movie-market has never been so ripe for the plucking , this generation ( 20 to 40 something?) is the one that has grown up with more intelligent , quality comics/games/art/movies etc. . We won't even have to speculate what the upcoming 'Hobbit' movies are going to gross (cha-ching ! ), and dammit - like Tolkien or not , the Hobbit is a childrens book , it's 'FLUFF' compared to the subject matter in even the least of the 'real' Conan stories , at least in my humble opinion . All that needs to be done is show the real Hyboria , the real Conan the way he was created - to last , man that is what I'm hoping for from this movie ( been waiting for it for 3 decades now in fact !)

I'll shut up here , I have too much time on my hands today I guess

[Evil Thoth-Amon]

Quote

Scripts go thru many drafts before they are finished. Believe me, I was laughing out loud when I read somewhere that people thought all Cimmerians would be wiped out by werewolves and Conan was the Chosen One to avenge all Cimmerians. No no no (...) My angle has always been that this is R rated, that we should not have a “star” portray Conan and that we rely less on CGI.

I can´t believe it... this news are REALLT, REALLY, GREAT!!!

Now, i have HIGH hopes in the movie...

[Grimr]

PainBrush, on Jun 15 2009, 05:57 AM, said:

All that needs to be done is show the real Hyboria , the real Conan the way he was created - to last , man that is what I'm hoping for from this movie ( been waiting for it for 3 decades now in fact !)

I, for one, couldn't agree more. I had a Frazetta style Hyboria/Conan in my head for years before Milius' effort left me feeling dissatisfied, still wanting to see a more credible, deeper representation of REH's world.

Love or hate CGI, at least it gives film-makers a cost effective way of rendering a world which is not constrained by what can be physically built and erected, and then compromised due to cost or sheer practicality. In this sense, modern film-makers are far better equipped now than they were in 1982. LOTR has shown that with the right amount of effort anything can be made to look real and believable. It just remains for the conceptual artists and designers to get it right - and that's a big responsibility. Frazetta is a good starting point, though. He and Roy Krenkel had a great feel for the world REH described.

For me, the key to it all is a credible actor the play the lead, and a great script and plot. What has to be conveyed is not just Conan's barbarism and physicality, but his keen natural intelligence. This is where technology, CGI or whatever can't help. In this regard the film-makers have exactly the same as their 1982 counterparts...except one thing...the previous films to learn from! It's down to the team on the new project to roll up their sleeves and set about to improve greatly on what has gone before.

This post has been edited by Grimr: 15 June 2009 - 10:13 AM