Update #2: Netflix has partnered with Cabinet Entertainment and Pathfinder Media to bring Conan The Barbarian to the small screen. The streaming giant struck gold with the success of The Witcher series and is likely aiming to replicate their success with the granddaddy of the Sword and Sorcery genre. There’s no showrunner or cast announced at this point, but once we hear more, we’ll inform you of that.

The question that now remains is will Netflix deliver? Personally, I thought The Witcher was fine but got less inspired the longer it went. Likewise, the 2011 movie with Jason Momoa (inspired casting) was a train wreck, so audiences may not be clamoring for Conan content, which has become more synonymous with MMO video games and comic books as of late. That said, Robert E. Howard’s stories lay the groundwork for an entire genre and the possibilities are truly endless. As opposed to one contained arc, the Conan stories are standalone tales. One day, he’s a slave, the next a King, another, a pirate. None of it was written in chronological order, giving Conan a nomadic and epic scale. While the series likely won’t bounce around, we can maybe follow him as a gladiator for a few episodes, before breaking free with some rogues and where he’ll begn his quest to wander the earth.

Update #1: it appears this show has been cancelled from Amazon Prime’s Slate, we’ll update the story should any developments get announced. The original story follows.

Crom! In the wake of Game of Thrones coming to an end in 2019, many platforms have been looking for a replacement show to fill that vacuum. We have The Witcher being developed over at Netflix and a Fellowship of the Ring prequel in the works at Amazon. Now, the streaming giant and online shopping centre are working on another fantastical adaption for your consideration.

Based on the works by Robert E. Howard, Amazon will produce a live-action Conan the Barbarian series. If you’ve never read the books or seen any of the films, Conan is a pulpy, high fantasy epic set in a forgotten age on Earth, before the sea drank Atlantis. It’s full of monsters, magic and war, many things that are the norm now in the fantasy genre. The titular Conan hails from the north and wanders the world, living at various points in his life as a pirate, slave, mercenary, thief and eventually king. The book series has had a huge impact on the genre and pop culture itself, and it’ll be interesting to see how audiences react to a new interpretation of the character and the world.

Bringing this world to life behind the scenes are Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, Colony co-creator Ryan Condal and The Handmaid’s Tale’s executive producer Warren Littlefield. It’ll be interesting to see how the series fares considering today’s political climate. Howard wrote many of the Conan stories back in the 30s and despite the series taking place in a crappy fantasy world full of terrible people, there are no doubts elements that are a no go in 2018. That being said, Conan has always been written to have brown skin, which means we’ll be getting a non-white lead in a big budget fantasy series, something the genre could definitely use and fans would expect.

Most famously so far, Conan’s been portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in two feature films, the first making him a star, and by Jason Momoa in the 2011 reboot, which not only was a poor movie but failed to capture the spirit of Howard’s work despite the perfect casting. There is no casting information at this time, however, but we’re curious as to who you would cast as Conan in this series? Let us know!