My short list of directors I think would be good for Legend of Conan (other than Milius)
-Kenneth Branagh - remember the
Hamlet scene from Last Action Hero? Well, let's go this! No, seriously though, Branagh is one of the best directors alive, and I think his shakespearian roots could serve him well here. After all, Conan also has a certain hightened language to it, a certain theatrical quality. Somewhere between the epic fantasy of Thor and stories of kings and wars in Henry V and Hamlet there is the story of King Conan.
-George Miller- Fury Road is the best example, if not only, proof that going back to an 80's franchise like this can work. If we can't follow his example in full and get Milius back, why not Miller? You'd be hard pressed to get someone with more credibility among both critics and audience to spearhead a project like this right now. Granted, the style of Conan and Mad Max are very different, but not more so than Mad Max and Happy Feet. Miller is nothing if not versitile.
-Guillermo del Toro- I would love to see Conan's world brought to life by del Toro. It would be very different than the original, but maybe that's better than someone trying to copy the original without his own vision.