A recent casting call for the upcoming "Conan" film described the titular Cimmerian as "very smart, almost inhumanly strong, and very cunning." Essentially, we're talking about the perfect human being.

Casting Conan isn't easy, and not just because the description is so specifically tailored for a god-like actor. The widely adored character also comes in different shapes and sizes, from the Arnold Schwarzenegger-styled muscle man to the more agile but still powerful warrior featured early in Kurt Busiek's comic book series for Dark Horse.

On either end of that spectrum, whoever is chosen to play Conan must be a capable actor. Finding a bodybuilder that can slay dialogue as easily as he slays his enemies is not an enviable task. Read more...

With Marcus Nispel officially announced as the director of "Conan," fans are simply waiting for that other shoe to drop — namely, a casting announcement for the titular Cimmerian warrior.

While nothing is official yet, the recent revelation of the film's many characters indicates that an announcement could be coming soon. Moviehole has posted casting breakdowns for "Conan," which reportedly begins filming in Bulgaria on February 15.

In addition to providing detailed information on Conan himself, the breakdowns also reveal many of the film's other character as well as some key plot information. [SPOILER ALERT!] Read more...

He's already had his way with Marvel's mutants and he's about to dive into the world of Rob Liefeld's "Youngblood" (with Robert Pattinson at the helm, if the director has any say in the matter) but there's one comic book character that has eluded director Brett Ratner.

For some time, Ratner was attached to direct the upcoming "Conan" movie, which he described as neither an homage or a remake, but a new exploration of the Cimmerian's classic roots. But sooner than you could pray to Crom, the "X-Men: The Last Stand" director was off the project, with Marcus Nispel taking his place.

"I really wanted to do that," Ratner confessed to MTV News about his departure from the "Conan" movie. "I'm sad about it, because I loved the script." Read more...

Dark Horse expanded the Robert E. Howard wing of their publishing catalog this week with the announcement that they will publish comics based on upcoming films from Paradox Entertainment. Paradox's slate of films featuring characters by the fantasy author include the "Conan the Barbarian" relaunch, now being directed by Marcus Nispel instead of Brett Ratner, and this October's "Solomon Kane."

With Dark Horse's considerable history publishing Conan, Kull the Conqueror, and Solomon Kane comics, the partnership comes as little surprise. Read more...

Last week, the new "Conan" found its director in the gore-happy Marcus Nispel ("Friday the 13th"). The hunt was on for the man to wield the broadsword, and Lionsgate was said to be on the lookout for an unknown to play the iconic part. The Hollywood Reporter is claiming that they may have found him .... and he's a dead ringer for cinema's first Conan, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Austrian actor Roland Kickinger is currently in talks to star in the remake, and is not only a physical match for the original "Conan the Barbarian" actor, but he shares a similar biography. He's a body-builder turned actor, and he had a role as a T-800 in this summer's "Terminator: Salvation." He also played Ah-nuld in "See Arnold Run," an A&E biopic about the Schwarzenegger's run for the California governor's office. Read more...

Last month, we reported that "X-Men: The Last Stand" filmmaker Brett Ratner had parted ways with the "Conan" franchise, leaving the hard-drinking barbarian without a director -- but with a little luck and a blessing from Crom, a replacement has been found!

The word is in from Variety that Marcus Nispel will direct "Conan" for Nu Image/Millennium Films and Lionsgate. "Conan" will mark Nispel's third time reawakening a franchise, the first two being his directorial work on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Friday the 13th." Read more...

Anyone who has had one knows that there's nothing funny about hangovers -- but this weekend's summer release, "The Hangover," plans to change that preconceived notion for theatergoers around the world.

Still, there are a variety of comic book heroes that wouldn't even flinch at the word "hangover," despite the alcohol-addled headache they're nursing following a night of binge drinking. After all, they're some of the world's greatest champions -- what's a dozen or so shots of Jagermeister between friends?

In honor of the Bradley Cooper-starring movie's release, we came up with our own list of hard drinking heroes that can down a keg or two and still save the entire planet, all in a single gulp. Read more...

FROM MOVIES BLOG: The word coming out of the UK today is that director Brett Ratner is no longer on board to helm the upcoming "Conan" not-a-remake. Producer Joe Gatta (who is also producing the "Conan"-spinoff "Red Sonja") revealed the news in an interview with Empire, posted today.

"We’re currently in the process of hiring a director," he told the magazine. "For the past six months we were discussing the movie with Brett Ratner, and for more timing issues than anything else we had to part ways with Brett. We all wanted him to do it, believe me; just the timing didn’t work. But you never know what can happen."

For more on Brett Ratner's departure from "Conan," head over to MoviesBlog.MTV.com.

When last we heard from "X-Men: The Last Stand" director Brett Ratner, who had previously denied rumors he was attached to a big-screen "Conan" revamp, he was telling MTV News who he'd like to see take on the "Conan" role made famous by a certain Governor of California.

And for someone who, by his own admission, isn't officially attached to the new project featuring one of US President Barack Obama's all-time favorite comic book characters, Ratner certainly knows quite a bit about the new "Conan" movie -- and it looks like "new" seems to be the key word there. Read more...

When last we heard from the "Conan" revamp camp, director Brett Ratner was adamantly dismissing rumors that he'd signed on to direct a "Conan" remake, saying the "Conan" news was premature and his next project would be "Beverly Hills Cop 4."

However, he's certainly not denying his desire to take on Cimmeria's resident berzerker in a big screen update. In fact, the director behind "X-Men: The Last Stand" already has ideas on how he'd handle casting.

"I believe it should be an unknown," Ratner hinted to MTV News. "Conan is kind of iconic. It's kind of like when you do Superman." Read more...