Photo: Universal Pictures
It seems that Amazon is trying to lock in all the best fantasy properties, and after buying the Lord of the Rings rights, it announced it’s making a Conan the Barbarian TV show! The lore that writer Robert E. Howard made will be adapted by the Colony screenwriter Ryan Condal, and transferred to the screen by director Miguel Sapochnik, the man behind Game of Thrones episodes like “Battle of the Bastards” and “Hardhome.” Producers of The Handmaiden’s Tale will overseer the project.
The role of Conan the Barbarian in the 1982 movie played a pivotal role in the life of one of the most successful modern men, Arnold Schwarzenegger. So it’s only logical that we take a look at the possibilities of the men that could thread in The Governator’s footsteps. Conan isn’t a mindless brute, especially in the original stories, and according to the official synopsis, the show will seemingly play into that.
“Driven out of his tribal homelands, Conan wanders the mysterious and treacherous world of civilization where he searches for purpose in a place that rejects him as a mindless savage.“
But being physically imposing is a pre-requisite for filling out Conan’s sandals, so we take a look at the actors that could and should play him.
Joe Manganiello
The long-haired 41-year-old is more than ready for the physical role, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger himself wrote the introduction to his fitness book, so he just might get the nod even from the original Conan himself. He would need to get on a bulking schedule a bit for the role of the most popular barbarian that could steer him away from the heartthrob reputation that follows him strictly.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
An obligatory inclusion of Dwayne Johnson, as he simply can’t go unmentioned whenever a physically-demanding role is open nowadays. At least he would be ready to play Conan without any extra gym work, but the unimpressive sword and sandals movies record might cost him the leading role.
Dave Bautista
Another man who transitioned from pro-wrestling, but one that displayed maybe even better acting chops than The Rock in his Hollywood career so far –especially in Blade Runner 2049, and one of its accompanying short films. He is the oldest of the bunch on our shortlist but is still more than imposing figure and can sure wield a cold weapon.
Adam Driver
While he might look to everyone as the typical 21st-century hipster actor, Adam Driver surprised everyone with his sizable muscles on display in The Last Jedi. The 34-year-old is pretty tall at 6′ 2″ inches while having the best acting talent of all the men on this list. Also, if he ever went to Ancestory.com they would surely find that he has Neanderthal genes.
