The character of Conan the Barbarian has, since two big screen offerings in the 1980s that helped launch the acting career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, been something of a dormant volcano. Periodically, there would be rumblings as to a big new movie (especially before Schwarzenegger became “The Governator” of California) or franchise reimagining, but as with so many would-be projects in Hollywood, the elements never quite completely aligned in a manner that turned possibility into a reality. That all changes this week, of course, with the debut of Lionsgate’s Conan the Barbarian, starring Games of Thrones‘ Jason Momoa in the title role.
Recently, I had the chance to sit down in person and speak one-on-one with some of the cast and crew about their takes on the material, and the long shadow of its legacy. And what better place to start than with one of the writers who was charged with shepherding the character back to the screen — even if screenwriter Sean Hood (above), who also currently teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, jokingly couldn’t quite understand why I wanted to chat with him. The conversation is excerpted over at ShockYa, so click on over for the engaging Q&A read, which includes intriguing information about Hood’s new project, which he compares to The Black Swan.