Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Well, I have good news. When Father Geek posted his story about the fate of the upcoming CONAN film at Warner Bros., there were some very good questions raised about the fate of the film if Stan Lee Media faces bankruptcy in the coming weeks. In that story, his source said the following:
"Well, remember that stock deal for the Conan franchise to CPI? According to a Dow Jones release 'there are certain price and volume protection rights for the shareholders of Conan Properties Inc. for the first 21 months following the acquisition.'"
This is true, but it's not the bad news the source seemed to think it was. Far from it. I've had an exchange with one of the principal players in this new CONAN film, and he's explained things further for me. Arthur Lieberman, who is not only the lawyer for Conan Properties, Inc. but also one of the producers of the original film, is very much in favor of a WB deal happening. Let's say the worst case scenario for Stan Lee Media happens. Even if the rights revert to CPI as a result of a bankruptcy, that just puts CPI back in the driver's seat. They will definitely push forward with the deal. Arthur was the behind-the-scenes guiding hand in the SLM/WB negotiation, anyway. It's not like he's getting stuck with something he didn't want.
Trust me on this one, fellow CONAN fans... it'll work out. This was never going to be a quick and easy process. In the meantime, everything's rolling ahead creatively. Keep in mind the intense pressures of the MATRIX sequels and the fact that Milius isn't even ready to start scripting until he finishes up his French foreign legion film for Beacon. Once the deal's finally done, you'll see progress really get underway.
Now if they could just get Arnold for one last great movie before he squanders what little star power he still has left...
"Moriarty" out.
