Looking back at his career, Arnold Schwarzenegger feels one of his most important franchises is missing a few more entries. Schwarzenegger has had quite an accomplished professional life, beginning with his bodybuilding career, then becoming the greatest action movie actor in Hollywood, before moving into politics. It is hard to imagine him having too many regrets about his work.
Schwarzenegger has appeared in plenty of sequels in his movie career, a sign of how popular his movies became. He returned to his iconic role of the T-800 multiple times in the Terminator movies, but never returned to the Predator franchise, despite its ongoing status.
However, there is one movie franchise that Schwarzenegger looks back on as having lost a lot of potential. He has even expressed a desire to return to it more than 40 years after its last entry. It also happens to be the franchise that started Schwarzenegger’s acting career.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants To Do More Conan The Barbarian Movies
Schwarzenegger Wants To Explore An Older Conan
Conan the Barbarian was the sword and sorcery movie that really helped to launch Schwarzenegger’s career as a Hollywood leading man. Based on the character by author Robert E. Howard, Schwarzenegger’s role as the vengeful warrior was perfect for him. It was followed by the less popular sequel, before Schwarzenegger moved on to other franchises.
However, in a recent interview with Collider, Schwarzenegger admitted that he thought there was more potential for the Conan franchise, and he wanted to make more sequels:
“Sometimes I wish that we could do more Conan sequels, because I think that if you have the right director and the right writing, there could be a really, really good franchise to continue King Conan and stuff like that.”
A third Conan the Barbarian movie was talked about for years, following the older character, King Conan, as he deals with aging in such a powerful position. However, the development of the sequel has been slow over the years, with many fans giving up on the idea of ever seeing Schwarzenegger return as this iconic hero.
Would More Conan The Barbarian Movies Be A Good Idea?
A Third Conan Movie Could Give Schwarzenegger One More Iconic Movie
Schwarzenegger has had the opportunity to return to some of his famous roles in the past, most notably in the Terminator franchise. However, while that iconic franchise has resulted in diminishing returns, it would be a thrill to see Schwarzenegger pick up that broadsword again and return as Conan.
Perhaps most exciting of all, a third Conan the Barbarian movie would give Schwarzenegger a role that could really show off his talents.
Schwarzenegger stepped away from the Terminator franchise after some disappointing sequels that always felt like they were forcing his character in. A third Conan movie would have Schwarzenegger front and center in a role that would use both his status as an action legend and the reality of him being an older man now.
Schwarzenegger is also right that the movie could be thrilling in the hands of a new filmmaker who could do something truly great with the material. James Mangold has proven himself a versatile director, but Logan showed him dealing with an iconic hero who has become more vulnerable.
Perhaps most exciting of all, a third Conan the Barbarian movie would give Schwarzenegger a role that could really show off his talents. He is an underrated actor, but hasn’t had the chance to remind fans of that in a while, with his most recent performances leaning into his action movie persona. It could be a wonderful late-career role for the icon.
