Forget Arnold: Jason Momoa is the New and Improved “Conan the Barbarian”

By Addie Strong
August 19, 2011

Conan the Barbarian

Jason Momoa stars as 'Conan' in the new "Conan the Barbarian" film. (photo by Simon Varsano)

The producers of the new movie “Conan the Barbarian” could not have chosen a better time for their film to debut. When the movie hits theaters today, newcomer Jason Momoa is likely to win over fans who might have longed for Arnold Schwarzenegger—who played the original Conan back in 1982—prior to the former California governor's recent fall from grace.

Momoa—whose first major part was on "Baywatch," though more recently, he achieved a cult-like following for his role on the TV series "Stargate: Atlantis"—should have an ability to draw new fans that is crucial to the overall plan to revive Conan’s popularity among young audiences.

"Conan The Barbarian" Trailer (via YouTube)

Conan the Barbarian originated in 1932 when writer Robert E. Howard contributed his Barbarian stories to Weird Tales magazine. The character was soon immortalized in comic books, TV shows, movies, games and figurines, but at least in more recent incarnations, his story seemed to get lost along the way.

Ten years ago, Conan literally went belly up when his then-owners were forced to file for bankruptcy protection in 2001. A year later, Paradox Entertainment took over the rights and pulled all Conan-related products from store shelves. “The products were so all over the place that re-introducing him [Conan] from scratch was to only thing to do,” Paradox chief executive Fredrik Malmberg explained to the New York Times.

Jason Momoa and today’s new Conan movie—in 3D, no less—is another make-it-or-break-it step in reinventing the legendary Barbarian. Momoa reprises the role made famous by Schwarzenegger in his pre-Terminator days. And though Momoa is considerably smaller than Arnold was back then, Schwarzenegger admitted to using steroids (they were legal at the time), while the new Conan went the natural way (diet and exercise) to add a solid 35 pounds of muscle to his already large frame.

Conan the Barbarian

Jason Momoa as 'Conan'. (photo by Guy Roland)

In this remake, Conan the Barbarian embarks on an epic journey to avenge the massacre of his village and to save it from the threat of evil. The gorgeous and athletic Rachel Nichols joined Momoa on the Bulgaria film set, playing Conan’s love interest, Tamara, who also has a knack for battles. In fact, one of her fight scenes pits her against Rose McGowan’s evil sorceress character Marique. (We’ll let you guess who wins.) Marique is the daughter of villain Khalar Zym, Conan’s arch nemesis, who is played by Broadway star Stephen Lang. Acclaimed actor Ron Perlman rounds out the good-versus-evil cast, playing Conan’s wise father.

Conan the Barbarian

'Tamara' (Rachel Nichols) and 'Conan' (Jason Momoa). (photo by Simon Varsano)

Momoa, who last appeared on the HBO series "Game of Thrones," took playing Conan seriously from the beginning, suffering his own brutal injury for the sake of the strenuous role. Not only did he weight train, study Asian movement, perform stunts and ride an unpredictable horse, but Momoa also purposely broke his nose to play Conan. “I wanted to have my nose broken for this role but wasn’t sure how to accomplish it,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. Then, he asked a friend. “My buddy just did it right away, damn it,” he said. “After it was over, I said, ‘Dude, didn’t you want to think about it for a minute?’ But we’re guys and he said, ‘You don’t have to ask me twice. Done deal.’”

Conan the Barbarian

Rose McGowan as ‘Marique’. (photo by Simon Varsano)

The hard work seems to have paid off, according to the man who is probably the most difficult to please: Ah-nold. “[Schwarzenegger] saw the movie and passed on a message that I did a good job,” Momoa told the Sun-Times. “That was fantastic to hear.”

Although the film is extremely violent and the character is, quite literally, a Barbarian, Momoa is a down-to-earth family man in real life. Married to actress Lisa Bonet of “The Cosby Show” fame, the two have a 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son together. Even Momoa’s stepdaughter (Zoe Kravitz, Bonet’s daughter with singer Lenny Kravitz) attended the “Conan” premiere to support her stepdad.

Others seem to be rooting for Conan’s comeback as well. Total eBay sales, listings and bids for the search term “Conan the Barbarian” are up in the past month compared to the prior 30 days. In fact, total listings have increased 19% and total bids are up 10%.