Since his inception almost eight decades ago, the character of Conan the Barbarian has inspired countless different stories spanning across all manner of media, so it’s not really a surprise that the new Lionsgate big screen re-boot of the “Conan” film series would involve more than one writer. While Sean Hood polished up the production draft and worked with director Marcus Nispel, Joshua Oppenheimer, along with his writing partner Thomas Dean Donnelly, crafted the original framework of the story, and retains screenplay credit. Recently, ShockYa had a chance to speak to the screenwriter one-on-one, about the enduring appeal of the character of Conan, the absolute necessity of thick skin when…

The character of Conan the Barbarian has, since two big screen offerings in the 1980s that helped launch the acting career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, been something of a dormant volcano. Periodically, there would be rumblings as to a big new movie (especially before Schwarzenegger became “The Governator” of California) or franchise reimagining, but as with so many would-be projects in Hollywood, the elements never quite completely aligned in a manner that turned possibility into a reality. That all changes this week, of course, with the anticipated debut of Lionsgate’s “Conan the Barbarian,” starring “Games of Thrones”‘ Jason Momoa in the title role. Participating in a recent Los Angeles press day for…

Associated Press reported today that Roger Avary the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and most recently “Beowulf” has been arrested today on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence in Ventura County. According to Captain Ross Bonfiglio a Ventura County sheriff, Roger Avary was involved in a single-car collision killing 34 year old Andreas Zini, and injuring his wife Gretchen who was ejected from the car upon impact. She is in stable condition. Roger Avary, a 42-year-old screenwriter and Ojai resident was released from jail on $50,000 bail.