In answer to the question, "What is best in life?," Conan the Barbarian answered in 1982: "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women." Arnold Schwarzenegger's sincere though stolid delivery of that dialogue became iconic, reflecting his relative inexperience as an actor as well as the movie's macho, action-first aesthetic.

The great John Milius directed the muscular action-adventure and cowrote the screenplay with Oliver Stone. Discounting the little-seen Hercules in New York, It was the first starring role for former bodybuilding champion Schwarzenegger and proved to be a box office success, leading to  the sequel Conan the Destroyer two years later.

Schwarzenegger's career as an action star was cemented in 1984 with The Terminator, a role that he's since revisited multiple times. He was not involved with the 2011 Conan the Barbarian reboot, which was a box office disappointment, but he has been linked to a direct sequel to the original since 2012.

Titled The Legend of Conan, the pitch for the sequel was imagined thusly: "It’s that Nordic Viking mythic guy who has played the role of king, warrior, soldier and mercenary, and who has bedded more women than anyone, nearing the last cycle of his life. He knows he’ll be going to Valhalla, and wants to go out with a good battle.” Since then, the project has been under development and is finally ready to move forward.

The screenplay has been written by Chris Morgan (multiple installments of the Fast and Furious franchise) and Andrea Berloff, who was recently nominated for Straight Outta Compton, as reported by TheArnoldFans, via ScreenRant. According to Schwarzenegger, the sequel has a new title: "Conan the Conqueror, where I’m sitting on the throne for years and years – decades, and then all of the sudden, the time comes when they want to overthrow me. So that story WILL be told and that movie WILL be done.”

Schwarzenegger also said that a search for a director is underway and producer Frederick Malmberg confirmed the point: "Yes, Chris Morgan and I are meeting with directors at this moment. Interest is high, many are fans of Conan but we are not rushing. We have a great script and now we need the right director for the job."

As to any who may be concerned that Schwarzenegger, 69, is too old for the role, he stated: "When you stay in shape, you do turn back the clock. So I feel great and the last few movies that I’ve done, I’ve done many of my own stunts. I did all the physical stuff and it didn’t wipe me out and I have plenty of energy and feel really terrific. So I am absolutely convinced that I can do the Conan movie and do the horseback riding, the sword fights and all the fighting.”

Schwarzenegger's confidence and desire to make the sequel gives us hope that it will get to the starting gate sooner rather than later.