New ‘Conan’ Animated Series from ‘Primal’ Creator Genndy Tartakovsky Coming to Amazon Prime
Genndy Tartakovsky, animator and creator of such dynamic cartoons as Samurai Jack and Primal, had his dream project greenlit: an adaptation of Conan the Barbarian. Announced at the Annecy Film Festival, the project is an animated series being made for Amazon Prime in conjunction with Cartoon Network Studios.
The reported working title is Conan the Barbarian: Queen of the Black Coast. An official log line indicating Conan will have a new love interest adds clarity: “After finding love in the pirate queen, Bêlit, a battle-hardened Conan defies gods, fate, and even death to save her from a dark sorcery that threatens to destroy everything.”
They are in the earliest phase of development on this, so there’s no complete animation to show off. However, in a video message to those gathered at Annecy, Tartakovsky said he hopes to share some “rough animation” in the next year or two.
The ball is finally rolling after a nearly 20-year wait, as Tartakovsky first pitched his idea back in 2008. In his message to Annecy, he added he always felt a connection to Conan’s creator, Robert E. Howard, who introduced the world to the sword-swinging warrior of “The Hyborian Age” in 1932.
Over the last century, the character has blossomed into an elite franchise IP spanning major motion pictures, comic books through Marvel and Titan alike, short-lived television shows, and, of course, over 50 novels — and counting. Ironically, Howard only completed one novel starring the Destroyer, but excelled at filling out the lore with short stories. The rest of the legwork was done by other authors over the years.
Ultimately, though, it was the movies and Arnold Schwarzenegger that brought Conan to the prominence he enjoys today — by the mercy of Krom. Arnie returns to finish his story in King Conan, which is another project that has been decades in the making through thick and thin of false starts and personal battles, such as cancer.
The last time Conan did battle (personal or otherwise) in animation was in the syndicated 90s series Conan the Adventurer. Produced by Sunbow Productions, it aired in 1992 and ran for 65 episodes across two seasons. Like so much 90s nostalgia, this forgotten gem has not succumbed to the sands of time and has found its way to streaming on Tubi.
You can also sample the kind of brutality and monstrous mayhem Genndy Tartakovsky brings to sword and fantasy in Primal on Adult Swim.
