[Jay@Paradox]

Dear Conan and Howard fans,

This is the first post in a thread about the development of the new Conan movie. To keep our announcements about the progress easily found and in sequence, this thread is pinned and closed. We will post updates when there is information to give. As the movie is in development, not production, the announcements will likely be sporadic until a later stage.

First of all, a few comments on the surge in posts the past two weeks. Please keep in mind that everything is still a work-in-progress. It is best not to jump to conclusions about a movie that won’t be released for 18 months or so from now. Paradox/CPI is working with the studio (Millennium/Nu Image), the other producers, the distributor (Lions Gate) and the director (Marcus Nispel) by giving input on the development. CPI strives to make this an action-filled movie in the world of Conan, taking inspiration from the writings of Howard, however, some liberties will have to be taken to reach out to a wider audience. It remains our hope that bringing Conan and other characters to a new generation will enhance the awareness of the writings of Robert E. Howard.

Secondly, scripts change constantly when a film is in production, even during shooting. While there is usually one writer or writing team credited in a movie, it is very common to use different writers for later rewrites. We are now preparing for a new set of eyes (and hands) to begin a rewrite. The owner of said eyes and hands shall remain unnamed for now...

[Jay@Paradox]

Dear Conan and Howard fans,

As you probably know, casting is underway for the Conan movie. So far the casting agents have met with over 200 actors just for the role of Conan! To end any and all premature rumors right away - no role has been signed yet, we're not even leaning towards any one actor for any role.

While the focus is on Conan at the moment, casting sessions have also taken place for some of the other characters. This is all in the so-called open casting call. The producers and director have also compiled a wish-list of actors they'd like to see in specific roles. This list is now being looked into in more detail in regards of the availability of each actor. As casting continues, the search for Conan is being extended to casting calls also in the UK.

Another work-in-progress is, of course, the script. The re-writer of the script is now in place and working on quite a few changes.

[Jay@Paradox]

Dear Conan and Howard fans,

Yesterday I asked the moderators to delete posts which include a link to the Conan script. The reason is that the studio, who owns the script, have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the site that published it. Paradox/CPI is not involved in that decision. Since we do not want conan.com, which we maintain for all fans, to become a legal thorn in the studio's side any posts with links to the script will be deleted. Please also refrain from work-arounds like posting chunks of the script directly in posts. Discussions about what you may have read elsewhere are of course ok. We hope for your understanding.

[Jay@Paradox]

Happy New Year to all REH fans!

While the holiday season is usually a time of relaxing, the Conan movie development continued more or less throughout. No role is yet cast and signed (so disregard any self-proclaimed castings) but we are getting close to wrapping several roles. The list of potential leads has been narrowed down and the director has carried out longer screen tests with a few potential Conans. We're also getting close with the female lead. A few big-name actors are being approached for supporting roles. The latest script rewrite was delivered just before the holidays and is now being read and commented upon. More concrete news to come as soon as I have anything!