With King Conan officially in development, interest in the Conan franchise is surging again — making this the perfect time to revisit all the Conan movies in order. The movie will be the fourth official Conan the Barbarian movie based on Robert E. Howard’s classic pulp hero, but the sixth Conan movie in total. Want to know more? We have a guide to all of the Conan movies in chronological and release order — including the two secret Conan movies everyone forgets.

Conan the Barbarian movies in release order

 

• Conan the Barbarian (1982)
• Conan the Destroyer (1984)
• Red Sonja (1985)
• Conan the Barbarian (2011)
• She is Conann (2023)

Technically, Red Sonja isn’t a Conan movie, as Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a character called Kalidor, instead of Conan… but he’s really Conan. The different name comes from a rights conflict, as Universal Pictures officially owned the license for the Conan character. Meanwhile, She is Conann is a European revisionist take on the character that recasts Conan as Conann, a female warrior at different stages of her life. As the title of the movie might suggest, it’s also sidestepping copyright concerns by changing the name of its hero.

Conan the Barbarian movies in chronological order 

• Conan the Barbarian (1982)
• Conan the Destroyer (1984)

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s two outings as Conan were originally intended as a trilogy; a third movie, Conan the Conqueror, was planned for 1987 but fell apart due to producers being unable to come to terms with Schwarzenegger for a third movie; the star filmed Predator instead.

Separate continuities:

• Red Sonja (1985)
• Conan the Barbarian (2011)
• She is Conann (2023)

Each of the three movies above takes place inside their own separate continuities, and do not officially crossover with any other film. Red Sonja, however, was originally written as a Conan the Barbarian spin-off before copyright issues forced Schwarzenegger’s character to be renamed.

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Conan the Barbarian Movies FAQs

How many Conan the Barbarian movies are there?

There are three movies that officially feature the character Conan, as created by Robert E. Howard: 1982’s Conan the Barbarian, 1984’s Conan the Destroyer, and 2011’s Conan the Barbarian.

Is there a new Conan movie coming out?

Yes, King Conan — written and directed by Mission: Impossible’s Christopher McQuarrie and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role — has just been announced. No release date has been revealed for the project.

Is Henry Cavill playing Conan?

No, Henry Cavill is busy with Highlander and his long-in-development Warhammer projects for Amazon. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be playing Conan in the upcoming King Conan, as one of only two actors to play the character on the big screen. The other is Jason Momoa, who played Conan in 2011’s Conan the Barbarian.
 

What is Conan’s famous line?

Not known for his wit, Conan’s most famous line of dialogue comes from the 1982 Conan the Barbarian movie, where he declares that what makes life worthwhile is “to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.”

Is Kull the Conqueror a Conan movie?

1995’s Kull the Conqueror isn’t a Conan movie, in that it stars Robert E. Howard’s other fantasy hero, Kull — but, curiously enough, the movie adapts a Conan novel (1950’s The Hour of the Dragon) and swaps out the original protagonist for Kull. Additionally, the project originally started as the never-produced Conan the Conqueror movie that would have been a sequel to 1984’s Conan the Destroyer, before star Kevin Sorbo reportedly objected to playing a character that had already appeared onscreen. So, no; this isn’t a Conan movie — but it’s also a Conan movie in spirit, in many ways.

Has there been a Conan TV show?

Yes — in fact, there have been three Conan TV shows. 1992’s Conan the Adventurer was a Saturday morning animated adaptation of the character that softened his ways to make him more appropriate for children, and it spawned a follow-up series with 1994’s Conan and the Young Warriors. Although that show only lasted 13 episodes, the hero returned to the small screen in 1997’s live-action series, once again called Conan the Adventurer, in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. That show proved similarly short-lived, ending after just one 22-episode season.

Where can I watch the Conan the Barbarian movies?

As of writing, all of the Conan movies are available on Prime Video.

• Conan the Barbarian (1982) 
• Conan the Destroyer (1984) 
• Red Sonja (1985) 
• Conan the Barbarian (2011) 
• She is Conann (2023) 

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Find out how Arnold Schwarzenegger used a line from the unmade King Conan movie to inspire his friend (and director) John Milius in his cancer battle.