The “pile of shit” movie Jason Momoa wants to delete from history: “That really sucked”
If you’re watching a movie with a charismatic hunk character in it, it’s a 50/50 toss-up between Jason Momoa and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
It’s hard to remember a time when Momoa wasn’t the instantly recognisable man-mountain who has been a part of some of the biggest franchises in modern cinema, from Dune and Fast & Furious to the DC Extended Universe before it died a slow, painful death. However, it was the small screen that gave the Hawaiian sensation his first big break, where he played a major role in a Baywatch spin-off set in the Aloha state, before graduating to the science-fiction series Stargate: Atlantis.
Then came his biggest role to date as Khal Drogo on HBO’s runaway smash (we don’t talk about the last season) Game of Thrones. As the leader of the Dothraki tribe and onscreen husband of ‘Mother of Dragons’ Daenerys Targaryen, he was one of the most memorable characters in the show’s early days, mostly because he spent all of his screen time shirtless and eyes painted like a raccoon’s.
Unfortunately, for every door that is opened, there are also bottomless pits, and the same year that GoT debuted and catapulted Momoa to the next level, the former horse lord found himself fronting his very first movie, Conan the Barbarian. If that sent shivers down your spine, then don’t worry, you are not alone.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of things that really sucked, and movies where it’s out of your hands,” the actor told GQ, “Conan was one of them. It’s one of the best experiences I had and it [was] taken over and turned into a big pile of shit.”
Released in 2011, Conan the Barbarian was a remake of the 1980s sword and sandals classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, itself inspired by Robert E Howard’s famous character. In this new story, the titular warrior has to combat an existential threat to his entire people, and if that sounds vague, then it’s because there really isn’t much to talk about with this movie: it’s a bland, uninspired fantasy action affair that was panned thoroughly.
The new version of Conan was savaged by critics, who questioned why the franchise had been dug up just to be slaughtered all over again. Worst of all, it committed the number one Hollywood sin of failing to make any money, as audiences just weren’t drawn to the IP in the same way they had been by other reboots. The catastrophic nature of its reception led to all future Conan-related projects being shut down, including a fascinating idea involving Arnie returning to the role.
As the star said, a lot of the issues with Conan the Barbarian were out of his muscular hands. The movie had a severely troubled production, cycling through several directors and even multiple studios before eventually settling down to what it was realised as.
Luckily for Momoa, he was able to ride this wave and get his career back on track, although it’s clear that this experience still haunts him, and not just because of some of the costumes he had to wear.
