Stephen Lang Cast as Conan Villain Khalar Singh
Posted 03.10.10 by Ryan
Director Marcus Nispel finally cast a villain for his upcoming Conan reboot, scheduled to start production in Bulgaria on March 15. Avatar actor Stephen Lang confirmed his casting to MTV before the Academy Awards show on Sunday night with typical villainous flare.
I've accepted the role of Khalar Singh. I have no idea how I'm going to do it. First I'm going to find out how I'm going to sound. I'm going to get back on a Mongolian pony and ride like the wind. I'm going to flash my scimitar. I'm going to cut the nuts off Conan and his father.
The previously released character descriptions prove Lang is already well versed to play the character of Khalar Singh.
He's in his 40s to 50s, Asian or Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Mongol, Turkish, or Persian, open to all ethnicities; commanding in size and manner, a warlord and formidable warrior, brilliant, cruel, weathered and tanned by the many campaigns he has waged and won. He is driven in his quest to find the Queen of Acheron and has been building an empire to do so. His goal is to find the Queen whose blood will bring life to
the demonic minions of Acheron while making himself king of this hellish power. With this power, Khalar will protect his legacy against the onslaught of master sorcerer, Thoth-Amon so that his weak son, Fariq may rule after his death. While riding into a Cimmerian village to recruit his old comrade, Corin, his large collection of mercenaries slaughters them to the last soul when Corin refuses to join them. The village's only survivor was young Conan. When Khalar's search has finally narrowed to the likely discovery of the queen at a monastery of female monks, he also learns Conan is older and hungry for revenge.
While Conan is a reboot of the franchise started in the 1980s with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role, the movie may take its lead from the novels by Robert E. Howard instead. In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Jason Momoa admitted that he "did more research with the books (than the movies)" to study for the role of the fictional Cimmerian warrior.
With Momoa as Conan, Rachel Nichols has been cast as love interest Tamara and Mickey Rourke has been offered the role of Corin, Conan's father. However, Lang's threats to his manhood could make Rourke reconsider.