The movie had been in the works for quite some time when it was finally released in 1982. It took inspiration from the character of the same name created by Robert E. Howard, and it became an epic explosion of masculinity, fighting and getting the girl. It was pure indulgence, with Arnold Schwarzenegger bagging the leading role. John Millius, who’d written Dirty Harry, was given the job of directing the movie, penning the script with Stone.
The executive producer, Edward R. Pressman, ended up selling Conan to the legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis after funding proved challenging. Using the Dino De Laurentiis Corporation, his daughter, Raffaella De Laurentiis, co-produced the film with Buzz Feitshans, who had produced some of Millius’ other work.
Unfortunately for Stone, these producers just didn’t get his vision, and he ended up unhappy with the direction that Conan the Barbarian went in. The harsh reality was that Stone’s screenplay was perhaps too extravagant for the budget and means available to make the film. Stone also wanted the film to be darker, which Millus opposed. The writer explained, “I made the same kind of outward journeys and returns, suggesting thus that all that the spectator saw could occur very well in the future.”
Looking back at the film in an interview with Total Film, Stone identified “a mistake”. He reflected on the script’s sale to De Laurentiis, which partly happened as a result of Stone and the producers being unable to secure their first choice of director. “I wrote a script which was probably worth $50million at the time. I had a vision of 12 movies, like a Bond series, but we couldn’t get Ridley Scott to do the first one because he was doing Blade Runner,” the filmmaker revealed.
Instead, “We sold it to Dino De Laurentiis, which was a mistake. Dino trashed it in two films.” Part of the deal when De Laurentiis came on board was to allow Millius more creative control. “John was the director/writer and he changed my script. He liked the ferocity and the vision of what was in there, but he used it his way,” he added.
In the end, Conan the Barbarian received mixed reviews. Perhaps it would’ve fared better if more of Stone’s grittier, post-apocalyptic ideas had been used, but it seems as though we’ll never know. Still, it received a sequel, Conan the Destroyer, and launched Schwarzenegger to significant heights.
And yet, it became a cult classic and still the best Conan adaptation.
However, Ridley Scott’s Conan launching a large franchise would have been quite something.
This is a case of “if my grandma had wheels, she would be a bicicle”
Would it have been an epic series? Would it be better than the version that came out? Who knows
Indeed - the idea that it was a $50M script is, ultimately, hypothetically as it appears it wasn’t possible to actually make it happen the way he wanted. I assume most screenwriters can tell a story about a script that could have produced greatness if only the stars had aligned in the exact orientation.
Ok, John Millius did not write Dirty Harry and even if he had why would this article point to that credit and not Apocalypse fucking Now?!
John Millius did not write Dirty Harry
He wrote an uncredited draft of the script and a lot of the classic lines in the film are from him. He also wrote the first draft for the sequel.
even if he had why would this article point to that credit and not Apocalypse fucking Now?!
Yes, that’s the big mystery - it’s not like some obscure little film and he was nominated for an Oscar because of it.
Didn’t know that about Dirty Harry. Thanks for the info.
