Blackman and McCain Rewriting Conan Script.

[nelll]

Dirk Blackman, Howard McCain set to rework script

By Jay A. Fernandez and Carolyn Giardina
Aug 13, 2008, 01:00 AM ET


Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain are trying to corner the market on sword-swinging fantasy adventures.

Blackman and McCain have been hired to rework the script for "Conan," as in the barbarian, for Lionsgate. And the writing team's action-adventure screenplay "Amazon," an epic about female warriors to which Scarlett Johansson has been attached, is sailing out of turnaround toward Lionsgate as well, with Neal Moritz and his Original Film banner coming on to produce once the deal is completed.

Director searches are under way for both.

CEO and president of Paradox Entertainment Fredrik Malmberg is producing the "Conan" feature along with Boaz Davidson, Joe Gatta and Avi Lerner of Millennium Films.

Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer ("Sahara") wrote earlier drafts of the film, a potential resurrection of the classic warrior created by Robert E. Howard in dozens of pulp stories published in the 1930s. In 1982, Oliver Stone and John Milius wrote a bloody adaptation, which Milius also directed, that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"We all want this movie to go into production as soon as possible," Malmberg said. "It's a fast-tracked movie. Lionsgate felt the process was enhanced by having a second team come in and do a script."

Much like with "Batman Begins," the studio hopes to redraw the Conan feature universe to produce a new, post-millennial franchise. So rather than remake the Schwarzenegger bloodfest, the writers have gone back to Howard's original stories to create a $100 million R-rated origin film, the largest production to date for Lionsgate and Millennium.

"Fans expect (these types of movies) to be more true to the source material," Malmberg said. "There's no reason there couldn't be a Conan movie every two years. He's almost like Batman: He's a dark hero. He's a hard hero. He has to be badass, but we also have to like him."

Blackman and McCain, repped by ICM and Circle of Confusion, recently co-wrote the science fiction actioner "Outlander," which McCain also directed. It screens Friday at the Locarno film festival. They also are credited writers on "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," due out next year.

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[cheez avenger]

Wow, a 100 million flick at Lionsgate??? I wouldn't be surprised if they pull out at the last minute.


They should have stuck with John Milius's script.


Every franchise from here on out will have the Nolan's Batman theme going of "re-invention", or "re-imagining".

[MrE]

lol WoW

When I first read "Blackman and McCain...", I thought it was in reference to Obama and McCain.

[twonunpackmule]

Man, I would have loved to have seen King Conan.

Ugh...now were going to get some lame PG-13 Conan, and it'll be filled with GQ actors.

Though, Scarlett Johansson in "Frazetta Garb" would be worth a ticket purchase.

[cheez avenger]

Originally Posted by twonunpackmule

Man, I would have loved to have seen King Conan.

Ugh...now were going to get some lame PG-13 Conan, and it'll be filled with GQ actors.

Though, Scarlett Johansson in "Frazetta Garb" would be worth a ticket purchase.

She's got nice cakes!!!!