Conan the Destroyer

Conan the Destroyer (1984)

Timing: 1:43 (103 min)

6.091/10
1422

6.647/10
24755

5.9/10
90000

All about film

Video 2

Photo 36

Actors and characters

Release date

1984-06-29

Country

United States

Production

Universal Pictures, Dino De Laurentiis Company, DEG

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy, Action

Budget

$18 000 000

Revenue

$31 042 035

Website

Director

Richard Fleischer

Actors

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain, Mako, Tracey Walter, Sarah Douglas, Olivia d'Abo, Pat Roach, Jeff Corey, Sven-Ole Thorsen
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Dino De Laurentiis, Raffaella De Laurentiis, Edward R. Pressman, Dino De Laurentiis, Stephen F. Kesten

Operator

Jack Cardiff

Composer

Basil Poledouris

Artist

Audition

Johanna Ray

Editing

Frank J. Urioste, Anuar Badin
All team (69)

• For Olivia d'Abo, the role of Princess Jenna was her debut.
• The third, concluding film of the Conan trilogy was supposed to be "Conan the Conqueror" in 1987, based on Howard's story "The Hour of the Dragon," where Conan becomes king of Aquilonia. However, Schwarzenegger was unable to participate in this film as he was busy with "Predator," and Kevin Sorbo, who was chosen as a replacement, did not want to play someone else's role. As a result, the intended trilogy remained unfinished. The script was rewritten, replacing Conan with another of Howard's characters – Kull of Atlantis, and the film was titled "Kull the Conqueror" (1997).
• The filmmakers found it difficult to find a horse for Wilt Chamberlain (1946-1999). The actor was so tall that when he sat in the saddle, his legs touched the ground. Eventually, a horse suitable for riders of such height was found in Spain and brought to Mexico.
• The director of "Conan the Barbarian" (1982), John Milius, was busy and unable to shoot the film. Leading studio executives took a more active role than in the first film of the franchise, and, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, they made a number of serious mistakes. Riding the wave of success of Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982), Universal decided that the film would gross more if it were made into a family-friendly film. Schwarzenegger strongly objected, but his opinion was not heeded. Director Richard Fleischer (1916-2006) agreed with Schwarzenegger, but was forced to go along with Universal's desire to make a sequel in the style of a comic book. The sequel grossed more than the first film in the franchise, but box office results in the US were not as impressive as Schwarzenegger and Fleischer had feared. Schwarzenegger expressed similar concerns later, when the Terminator in James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991) was forbidden from killing anyone. After that, Schwarzenegger and Dino De Laurentiis (1919-2010) decided to end the franchise, and Schwarzenegger has since only starred in films about contemporary times.
• The swords cost $10,000 each.
• Wilt Chamberlain and Grace Jones performed 90% of their own stunts. Once, while working with a pole, Jones accidentally sent two stuntmen to the hospital; preparing for the role in this film took her a year and a half.
• The movements of the dagota's (monster's) hands, eyes, mouth, and torso were controlled by six people.
• When creating the city of Shadizar, filmmakers built a small model of it and placed it in front of the camera.
• The role of Malak was initially reserved for actor David L. Lander (1947-2020), however, due to his deteriorating health (he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis) and difficulties in his relationship with director Richard Fleischer (1916-2006), the actor was replaced by Tracey Walter.
• To create the impression of steam coming from the mouth while breathing in cold weather, the actors held small pieces of dry ice wrapped in a light cloth in their mouths (as it is not recommended to touch dry ice directly).
• The character of Zula was originally conceived by screenwriter Roy Thomas as a Black warrior. “Zula” is a real male name in Africa, as the inhabitants of the Black Kingdoms are considered the ancestors of Black Africans. Producers decided it was a female character because the name ends in “a,” so they secured Grace Jones and designed costumes for her. When Roy Thomas noticed the mistake, it was too late – both for financial reasons and because a contract had already been signed with Grace Jones – so he had to change the character's gender in the script.
• During the fight scene between Zula and Bombatta, Grace Jones actually bit Wilt Chamberlain on the ear. Blood was genuinely running down his neck, and his surprised, offended expression was completely sincere and not at all acted. This was Jones's first role in a film, and she had never performed stunts on screen before.
• Wilt Chamberlain and Grace Jones performed 90% of their own stunts. Once, while working with a pole, Jones accidentally sent two stuntmen to the hospital; preparation for the role took her a year and a half.
• The character named Zula was originally conceived by screenwriter Roy Thomas as a Black warrior. Producers decided it was a woman, as the name ends in "a," so they enlisted Grace Jones and designed costumes for her. When Roy Thomas noticed that a mistake had been made, it was too late – both for financial reasons and because a contract with Grace had already been signed.
• For Olivia d’Abo, the role of Princess Jenna was her debut.
• In 1987, “Conan the Conqueror,” based on Howard’s story “The Hour of the Dragon,” was intended to be the third and final film in the Conan trilogy, where Conan becomes king of Aquilonia. However, Schwarzenegger was unable to participate in this film as he was busy with “Predator,” and Kevin Sorbo, who was chosen as a replacement, did not want to play someone else’s role. As a result, the planned trilogy remained unfinished. The script was reworked, replacing Conan with another of Howard’s heroes – Kull of Atlantis – and the film was titled “Kull the Conqueror” (1997).
• The character named Zula was originally conceived by screenwriter Roy Thomas as a Black warrior. Producers decided it was a woman, as the name ends in “a,” so they secured Grace Jones and designed costumes for her. By the time Roy Thomas noticed the mistake, it was too late – both for financial reasons and because Grace already had a contract.