AceShowbiz - Conan the Barbarian is set to return with a new sequel starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who first brought the iconic warrior to life in the 1982 original film. At the recent Arnold Sports Festival, Schwarzenegger revealed that he will reprise his role for a follow-up titled King Conan, which acts as a sequel to both the 1982 movie and its 1984 follow-up, Conan the Destroyer. While the franchise saw a reboot in 2011 starring Jason Momoa that underperformed, this new project is gaining momentum with acclaimed filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie attached as writer and director.

Schwarzenegger shared that McQuarrie, known for working on the last four Tom Cruise movies including the Mission: Impossible series, has been hired to craft the script and direct this next chapter. "They just hired a fantastic writer/director who did Tom Cruise's last four movies," Schwarzenegger said. "They just hired [Christopher McQuarrie] to write and direct King Conan."

The actor also gave insight into the story and tone of the new film, emphasizing that it will reflect his current age in his late 70s rather than attempting to replicate the vigor of his younger years. "Now, what they do is that they write the part," he explained. "They don't write them like I'm forty years old, you write it to be age-appropriate. I'll still go in there and kick some ass, but it will be different."

According to Schwarzenegger, the plot will revolve around an older Conan who is forced out of his kingdom after ruling for forty years. The story will feature conflict as Conan fights to reclaim his throne amidst chaos. He teased the presence of "madness, violence, magic and creatures," alongside modern blockbuster-level special effects, noting that the studio has a significant budget to make the film visually spectacular. "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. And now, of course, there's all kinds of special effects. The studio has plenty of money to make those movies really big, so I'm looking forward to all of those projects."

Besides his return to the Conan franchise, Schwarzenegger also revealed plans to revisit other '80s action classics. He is slated to appear in a new Predator film directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who helmed Predator: Badlands, as well as a sequel to the 1985 action hit Commando. "They did an additional Predator and the director (Dan Trachtenberg) has been doing a great job of that. Now, he wants me to be in the next Predator. We've talked about it. As a matter of fact, FOX studios has kind of rediscovered 'Arnold.' They've come to me and said, 'We want you to do Predator. We just got a script for you to do Commando 2,'" Schwarzenegger shared.

The involvement of Christopher McQuarrie as the writer and director of King Conan is particularly noteworthy given his reputation in modern action cinema. His past work includes writing and directing the Mission: Impossible films starring Tom Cruise, as well as contributing to scripts for notable titles like Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). This pedigree raises expectations for high-caliber action and storytelling in the upcoming Conan installment.

While Schwarzenegger did not specify a production timeline for King Conan, the project is reportedly still in the script phase. Filming is unlikely to begin before 2027, which suggests a potential release date in 2028 or later.

The Predator franchise continues to thrive under Trachtenberg’s direction, with recent entries like Prey (2022) and Predator: Badlands receiving positive reviews. Schwarzenegger's character Dutch has not appeared in live-action since the original 1987 film, although he made a brief appearance in the animated series Predator: Killer of Killers (2025). Meanwhile, the Commando series has remained dormant since its one-off 1985 release, but this is set to change with the planned sequel.

With multiple franchise returns on the horizon, including Conan the Barbarian, Predator, and Commando, Arnold Schwarzenegger shows no signs of slowing down as a leading action star. Fans of the legendary actor and his iconic roles can anticipate a busy few years ahead filled with high-energy sequels and blockbuster spectacles.