The Rat is slain. James McTeigue replaces him on CONAN!
"the new restart to the franchise is dead before it even begins", I wrote on a 08.11.08 in regards to the commitment that Bret Ratner was to direct the first in a new Conan series for a 2010 release, which was a follow-up story to a 18.09.08 piece entitled "Ratner the Destroyer", when his name was first rumored for the gig. Oh yes folks, you can tell I've been dying to see what he was going to make with this picture. The outlook is looking much brighter though today as developments this week have seen Ratner leave the project because of "scheduling conflicts" (always my favourite line because in truth it's so ambiguous, he could have been fired or he may have quit to do something else) and according to an exclusive Chud scoop, V for Vendetta'sJames McTeigue has seized the opportunity to come on board the helm. 
McTeigue as you know is a visual effects maestro who worked as an AD for the Wachowski's during The Matrix saga and is a name that regularly comes up with this kind of gig when a franchise director is needed. He is currently on post-production on Ninja Assassin, a visual effects action spectacular which opens in November. Speaking to Empire this week, producer Joe Gatta claimed a late Summer start was in the offing and that Robert Rodriguez's Red Sonja will not see the light of day until after Conan...
"We have a potential start-date on Conan of August 24. And well be shooting in Bulgaria. I would say though the emphasis is on Conan . Its our crown jewel here at the company and that will be the leader. Red Sonja probably wont happen until next year, as far as making it goes. So we want to launch Conan and reinvent the franchise."Those with long memories for developments in Hollywood will remember that The Wachowski's themselves were for a long time in development on bringing a new Conan to the big screen with King Conan: Crown of a Iron, which was to be the third movie starring Arnold Schwarznegger in this franchise. They were to produce the film with John Milius to once again write and direct but a clash of the heads and Arnie becoming Governor Arnie saw The Wachowski's bail in 2004. Now in the summer of 2009, with McTeigue very much under their guidance, will they finally be able to see the Conan they wanted on the big screen but now in the form of a franchise reboot?