Brett Ratner parts ways with Conan remake

DIRECTOR Brett Ratner is no longer attached to the remake of Conan, according to the film's producer Joe Gatta.

Gatta told Empire: "We're currently in the process of hiring a director. For the past six months we were discussing the movie with Brett Ratner and, for more timing issues than anything else, we had to part ways with Brett.

"We all wanted him to do it, believe me; just the timing didn't work."

Then he added, hinting that the door was not firmly closed on Ratner: "But you never know what can happen."

Gatta said that work would first press ahead on Conan and then on the related project Red Sonja: "We have a potential start-date on Conan of August 24. And we'll be shooting in Bulgaria. I would say though the emphasis is on Conan - it's our crown jewel here at the company and that will be the leader.

"Red Sonja probably won't happen until next year, as far as making it goes. So we want to launch Conan and reinvent the franchise."

He added: "We'll have an open casting call: as soon as we hire our director the search is on."

Ratner (pictured at top) has had a rather uncertain association with the Conan movie. Last November it was reported that he was in final negotiations to direct the film but then Ratner himself clarified that it was only a development deal. Then, last month, he said he was actively attached to the movie.

Rose McGowan is set to star as Red Sonja, as I reported last year. The character first appeared in a Conan the Barbarian comic published by Marvel, and was loosely based on the Red Sonya (spelled with a 'y') in a short story by Ron E. Howard, the creator of Conan.