Jason Momoa Pushing For A Sequel To One Of His Most Overlooked Movies
Jason Momoa, who is already a part of a mega franchise like the DCEU, wishes to rejoin a major franchise and revive a renowned character.
Currently, the world of cinema is going through a period where decade-old films, which have become cult-favorites, are being revisited and revived with remakes and sequels, with The Matrix Resurrections being the best example. But the idea of bringing to life a character whose last appearance was a big box office bomb? That doesn’t sound like a very bright thought, right? Well, Jason Momoa is reportedly planning to do just that with We Got This Covered saying Momoa wants back into the Conan the Barbarian franchise.
Whenever one hears the name Conan the Barbarian, the unbidden image that comes to mind is of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the fierce fictional warrior. The actor was the first to bring the character to life on the big screen with 1982’s Conan the Barbarian. Not only did the film kickstart a lucrative franchise, but it also established Schwarzenegger as a leading actor in the industry. Its sequel in 1984 was equally well-received, both commercially and critically. Plans were to continue reaping the benefits of this successful franchise but circumstances pushed the film into development hell for years. More than a decade later, the franchise was rebooted in 2011 with Jason Momoa as Conan and hopes were to repeat the success tasted by the prior films. But unfortunately, this rebooted Conan the Barbarian was a big box office dud, both in terms of earnings and reviews from critics as well as audiences.
Jason Momoa, whose career has finally taken off with projects like Aquaman and Apple TV+’s See, wants to play Conan once again and wishes to revive the character. While the possibility is certainly tantalizing for the few fans of the rebooted Conan out there, it is hard to digest the possibility of Momoa wanting to revive a major failure like Conan the Barbarian.
There indeed was a time when Jason Momoa was interested in not just one but in a trilogy showcasing him as Conan. This was in 2011, right around the time the film was fresh at the theaters. Excited at being part of such a big franchise, Momoa had many “great ideas” on where he wanted Conan to go next both “emotionally and physically.” According to him, playing Conan was amazing and he wanted to complete his story. But the film achieved very poor box office performance, where it earned less than $65 million on a budget of $90 million. Along with that, reviews from critics panned the film’s overreliance on 3D effects in the absence of acting and logical dialogues. This was enough to hash the possibility of any sequel ever getting made.
While there are certainly films out there that enjoy cult following despite being box-office failures and deserve a revival, the Jason Momoa starrer Conan the Barbarian certainly doesn’t fall in the category. The chances of the actor wanting to revisit the role again don’t appear to be high especially since a Conan the Barbarian Netflix series is currently in development and Momoa himself has a lot on his plate. He was last seen in the Netflix action-thriller Sweet Girl, opposite Isabela Merced, as Ray Cooper an emotionally devasted husband who woes to seek revenge against those responsible for his wife’s death.
Jason Momoa will be next seen in Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious science fiction film, Dune, alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, etc. He will be playing the part of Duncan Idaho, the swordmaster of House Atreides and Timothee Chalamet’s Paul’s mentor. The actor is currently filming the sequel, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, the sequel to his 2018 released blockbuster, Aquaman. Momoa has also wrapped up filming for another Netflix film, Slumberland, a fantasy comedy-adventure feature directed by Francis Lawrence, and his popular series, See, was recently renewed for a third season. With such projects in the pipeline, it is highly unlikely that the actor would like to reprise the disappointment that his Conan the Barbarian was, but stranger things have happened.
