Conan the Barbarian will rise again on Netflix as a series produced by Fredrik Malmberg and Mark Wheelers. This would mark the third separate continuity adapting the classic Conan stories, originally written by Robert E. Howard and later written after Howard's death by several authors, including Robert Jordan, Henry Turtledove and Steve Perry. For many, Conan might seem like an obvious story for Netflix to adapt, following the success of The Witcher and other fantasy series. Some might dismiss Conan as old-school swords and sorcery content, but these people are overlooking the sheer content available within the Conan saga for adaptation.
Neither the Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jason Momoa versions of the story faithfully adapted the original text. While each are memorable in their own right, there is a plethora of stories, characters and concepts that have never been incorporated into the myriad Conan adaptations. The following elements of the Conan saga might lend themselves well to future adaptations.
Conan Must Evolve From Barbarian to King
The three Conan films thus far created feature Conan as a roaming swordsman, fighting brutal battles against insurmountable odds. However, as many fans of the Schwarzenegger Conan films remember, each film ends with the promise that Conan would one day become a mighty king, always teasing that the story would one day be told.
Unbeknownst to many fans of the films, the very first Conan story written by Howard, "The Phoenix on the Sword," featured Conan as an older king reflecting on his life before reliving his Barbarian days in a singular action sequence. If this Netflix series wants to live up to its potential, it can feature each season adapting a stage of Conan's life, from the barbaric thief to the conquering soldier to the wise ruler. It would allow Conan to evolve, becoming an almost Shakespearean character in the process.
Develop the Hyborian World
Worldbuilding has dominated modern fantasy, ever since Tolkien crafted Middle-Earth and its millennia-spanning history. People watched Game of Thrones not only for its compelling characters and dragons, but also to see how the power-structure of Westeros survived the army of zombies form the north and Dothraki from over-sea. When rewatching any iteration of Conan the Barbarian, however, there is a sense of disconnect between Conan and the rest of his world.
What's particularly odd, however, is how well-crafted Howard's Hyborian Age is. It's a pre-Assyrian civilization, existing like any ancient civilization, where they are closer to the eldritch knowledge of magic. For example, Conan's race, the Cimmerians, are based on the Celtic people. They exist in a world after the fall of Atlantis, and, as such, should exist as prototypes of the older civilization. A series would need to depict the various civilizations and their relationship to magic and the eldritch in order to show Conan's rise to power in a meaningful light.
Tone Down the Racism
Howard's writing, much like that of his friend and fellow Weird Tales writer H.P. Lovecraft, reflects several fairly racist ideologies. Howard's depiction of Black, Jewish, Asian and Middle-Eastern people is problematic at best and horrendous at worst. These characters are invariably evil wizards, scheming thieves, rapists or murderous savages.
This is a problem that literally every adaptation and continuation of Howard's work has grappled with. While the two Schwarzenegger films include problematic elements, the worlds are at the very least diversely populated. Yes, Conan the Destroyer's diverse cast draws heavily from racial stereotypes, but it remains a huge step-up from the extreme racism of the short stories. The new adaptation should go even further in creating a world of various cultures with different priorities and cultural standards.
Add More Female Characters
Modern fantasy has some incredible female characters. However, dating back to the '60s and '70s with the creation of characters like Red Sonja, fantasy writers responded to the distinct lack of powerful women by creating their own. The majority of Howard's original stories featured women as hostages or prizes to be won. Later Conan stories featured more insightful and powerful women who could challenge Conan and his skills.
Any new adaptation of the Conan mythos will need to create new women to challenge Conan both physically or intellectually. Bring on queens, witches and barbarians. While Conan's sexual escapades have become a prominent feature over the years, the writers should create women who have no sexual interest in Conan whatsoever.
Feature Other Howard Characters
Robert E. Howard is best known for Conan, but he has a plethora of other characters who exist in alternate periods in his fantasy Earth. The addition of these well-developed characters could add dimension to the world, allowing writers to add nods to classic Howard stories
As mentioned before, Conan exists in the Hyborian Age. Before Conan, there was Kull, who existed in the Thurian Age as an Atlantean barbarian and king -- much like Conan. Kull and Conan could in theory exist in the same age, should the writers smudge the timeline or include Kull as a survivor of the Atlantean race. Kull even had a film based on him in 1997: Kull the Conqueror. Other characters Howard created included Solomon Kane, who also had a film of the same name based on him. However, Solomon existed during the age of the Tudors, wandering the world to slay evil of all kinds. He's a haunting character who could lend himself well to the series, because any future Conan the Barbarian adaptation will need to lean into its horror roots.
Bring in Cthulhu
As mentioned before, Lovecraft and Howard were contemporaries. The two sent written correspondence between one another for years. Howard often paid tribute to his friend by adding Lovecraftian monsters in his work, while Lovecraft would pay tribute to Howard by acknowledging the Hyborian Age and Conan in his horror stories. This means that Lovecraft's horrifying entities, from Cthulhu to Dagon to Yog-Sothoth, are not only canon in Conan, but play an active role in the narrative.
A future Conan adaptation will have access to the public domain characters created by Lovecraft, which means that this new adaptation of the Conan Mythos can include Lovecraftian horror. So far, only one of the three films -- Conan the Destroyer -- even attempted to incorporate Dark Gods and monsters into their narrative. If the Necronomicon plays an active role in the events of Conan, it might allow Conan to go sword-to-tentacle with Cthulhu and other monsters beyond space and time, which would result in something heretofore unseen on television. Want Netflix's Conan the Barbarian to stand out? Have him cut Cthulhu's head off.