Brett Ratner commits to CONAN, 2010 release...

I'm happy today, I have to admit. Brett Ratner has sacrificed BEVERLY HILLS COP IV and GOD OF WAR, so he can tackle the CONAN franchise which has been set a 2010 release. Yes, I can't stand Ratner. I absolutely loathe his work and I struggle to understand why he won't stay in this particular field and direct the PLAYBOY movie with Robert Downey Jr but instead attaches himself like a leech or a fucking rat to Hollywood franchises he has no right to touch. But man, I'm quite happy for Ratner to direct CONAN if it keeps him away from the aforementioned franchises. CONAN doesn't hold a place in my heart like it might for some of you guys, so I know your gonna be mega pissed. And rightfully so, because the new restart to the franchise is dead before it even begins. The Hollywood Reporter say Ratner had been mulling for two weeks over which project he should make his next movie and yesterday he came to the decision it would be CONAN. SAHARA scribes Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly are polishing their original script which will "incorporate some of Ratner's ideas". The movie will be R-Rated, it will harken back to the 1930's pulp story origins from creator Robert E. Howard and has a set budget of around $85 million.

"The story opens on the battlefield where Conan is born and tells the origin story that sets the stage for what will be the first of multiple films," Lerner said. "This is a coup for Millennium Films and proves that our choice of projects and material is attracting much higher-profile directors and actors."

We await to see which high profile actor, Brett Ratner is able to attach. Ratner apparently will still be involved in the creative process of BEVERLY HILLS COP IV (if it happens) but will no longer direct. It sounds like they have a small window of opportunity to use the script from the guys behind WANTED and 3:10 TO YUMA... if they can find a director at short notice because Eddie Murphy is only available for a short while.