While Momoa will never be as big as Ahh-nold, he is starting to resemble Robert E. Howard's images...now if only his arms could double in size!
Here are snipets from the interview with Desmoinesregister.com:
I’m in pain,” Jason Momoa groaned as he lay down for a 10-minute break.
That’s what six hours of sword and fight training can do to a guy.
Momoa, who grew up in Norwalk, Ia., was enrolled in early February in an intense six-week training program at a stunt and martial arts academy in Los Angeles for his title role in the upcoming movie “Conan.”
The character of Conan is a fictional Cimmerian warrior created in 1932 by Texan writer Robert E. Howard. This will be the third major movie about the 6-foot 2-inch, 210-pound Conan. The original “Conan the Barbarian” (1982) and the “Conan the Destroyer” sequel (1984) starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, now governor of California. Momoa was just a toddler when Schwarzenegger first strode on screen as the swarthy, blue-eyed barbarian.
“At the time, it was amazing … It’s got a little ’80s vibe to it,” Momoa said.
2011’s “Conan” has potential to be as big as the 1982 film, according to Edward Summer, associate producer of “Conan the Barbarian.”
“The original Conan stories are very strong stories.”
At 6 feet, 5 inches and 215 pounds, Momoa, of Hawaiian heritage on his father’s side, fits the physical features of Conan. (His green eyes can be made blue with contact lenses, Momoa noted.)
He expects to add 10 more pounds of muscle to his frame with help of David Leitch, a stunt performer seen in “The Bourne Ultimatum” and Chad Stahelski, the martial arts stunt coordinator for “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions.”
Conan retains a strong fantasy following as the subject of a Marvel comics series from 1970 to 1996, picked up by Dark Horse Comics in 2003 “Conan” and in 2008 for “Conan the Cimmerian.”
Jeremy Bement, who manages Mayhem Comics in Clive had this to say:
He hopes Momoa will be able to portray Conan as more than just a buff warrior...
“(Conan’s) not just all muscle; he’s brains and brawn,” Bement clarified.
“He was the strong, silent type,” Summer said.
“He eventually becomes king, so he is smart.”
To tackle Conan’s psyche and to prepare himself for what he called a “burly script,” Momoa went to the source.
“I did more research with the books (than the movies), to tell you the truth,” he said.
A character sketch of Conan from the upcoming film describes the lead character as “very smart, almost inhumanly strong, and very cunning. … His entire life, from the moment of his birth, has been shaped by violence.”
As for what the next Conan is looking like these days...
Now I know this material is near and dear to a lot of peoples hearts, but I personally am excited about it. I dig Momoa's acting, and he is VERY GOOD with a sword. On a side note, it's being reported that Momoa beat out not only
Kellan Lutz of
Twilight fame, but also
Jared Padelecki of
Supernatural.
So what do you think? Did the studio make a mistake, or is Momoa coming along nicely?