Conan returns to theaters without Arnold

By Joshua Tyler Oct 20, 2005, 0:50 GMT

We've been hearing for a long time that Hollywood might be making a return to the world of Conan the Barbarian. Some rumors had the Govinator involved, others indicated they'd be moving on without him. Well, now The Hollywood Reporter says that not only are they making the project without Arnold, they're making it without actors as well.

Swordplay Entertainment is producing an animated film called 'Conan: Red Nails'. The movie will be the bad ass barbarian's first cartoon adventure, and 'Hellboy's' baritone Ron Perlman has been hired to voice the character, Conan of Cimmeria.

Also in the voice cast is 'X-Men's' James Marsden, "CSI's" Marg Helgenberger, former Skywalker and voice actor supremo Mark Hamill. Hamill's presence alone gives the project instant credibility, he's without a doubt one of the finest voice actors working today.

Still, Swordplay Entertainment isn't exactly a big name company, and the animated movie is being put together by virtual unknowns. It's being directed by Victor Dal Chele and was written by Steve Gold and Timothy Dolan.

Then of course there's the issue of what sort of animation it will be. It's unlikely that it'll be anything other than 2-D animation, an art form which, at least at the U.S. box office, is all but dead. That adds up to a movie that may well end up straight to video rather than released in theaters. For now though, keep an eye out for it and see where the project goes.