Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as King Conan in a new film by Christopher McQuarrie. Expect epic battles, magic, and madness.
- March 10, 2026
AceShowbiz - King Conan marks the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger in a fresh installment of the Conan the Barbarian saga, currently in development at 20th Century Studios. The project will be penned and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, known for his work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, according to sources confirmed by Deadline.
Representatives for 20th Century Studios declined to comment on the new film. However, Schwarzenegger himself revealed the news during his recent appearance at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.
"With King Conan, it's a great old story that Conan was forty years as King, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom, and there's conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back, and there's all kinds of madness, violence, magic, and creatures and stuff like that," Schwarzenegger explained, hinting at the adventurous tone the film will take.
The character of Conan the Barbarian was created by Robert E. Howard and first appeared in Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s. The story follows a powerful warrior navigating deadly battles, political schemes, and supernatural dangers in the fictional Hyborian Age.
The original 1982 Conan the Barbarian film, starring Schwarzenegger, helped establish him as a leading action star. That movie, centered on Conan’s quest for vengeance against Thulsa Doom, played by James Earl Jones, grossed over $68 million worldwide and became a cult classic. Its sequel, Conan the Destroyer (1984), followed, though plans for a third film, Conan the Conqueror, never materialized.
Universal originally released the first two Conan films, while Lionsgate later rebooted the franchise in 2011 starring Jason Momoa. That reboot earned over $63 million globally but did not receive enough acclaim to continue with sequels.
Currently, Schwarzenegger stars in the Netflix series Fubar and will appear in the upcoming Amazon MGM Christmas action-comedy The Man with the Bag. He is represented by UTA, Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, and Lavely & Singer.
Christopher McQuarrie, fresh from the Mission: Impossible franchise, is represented by Greenberg Glusker. His involvement in the new King Conan movie.
