Kull the Conqueror

This article is about the 1997 fantasy film. For the Robert E. Howard character and the Kull the Conqueror comic book, see Kull of Atlantis.
Kull the Conqueror
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Nicolella
Screenplay byCharles Edward Pogue
Based onKull of Atlantis
by Robert E. Howard
Produced byRaffaella De Laurentiis
Starring
CinematographyRodney Charters
Edited byDallas Puett
Music byJoel Goldsmith
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • August 29, 1997 (1997-08-29)
Running time
96 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Italy
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[1]
Box office$6.1 million[2]

Kull the Conqueror is a 1997 fantasy film about the Robert E. Howard character Kull starring Kevin Sorbo and directed by John Nicolella (his final film before his death the following year). It is a film adaptation of Howard's Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon, with the protagonist changed to the author's other barbarian hero Kull.[3] The storyline also bears similarities to two other Howard stories, the Kull story "By This Axe I Rule!" and the Conan story "The Phoenix on the Sword", which was a rewritten version of "By This Axe I Rule!"

The plot sees the barbarian Kull who is made king after killing the previous one in self defense. His kingdom is threatened by the evil witch Akivasha, who seeks to bring forth the armies of hell to restore her dark empire. The film was originally intended to be the third Conan film, Conan the Conqueror but Arnold Schwarzenegger declined to reprise the role as Conan. Sorbo was reluctant to redo a character already played, so the character was changed to Kull.[4][5] Screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue has stated that he was extremely displeased with this film, feeling that his script was ruined by studio interference.[6]

  1. ^ Jones, Alan (February 1997). "Kull the Conqueror". Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Southall, J. R. (3 August 2015). "Kull the Conqueror". Starburst Magazine.
  4. ^ Eric Snider (27 November 2008). "Eric's Bad Movies: Kull the Conqueror (1997)". MTV. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Arnold Schwarzenegger Updates Status Of Next Conan Movie". Pop Culture Media. 20 May 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  6. ^ Linder, Brian (15 May 2002). "10 Questions: Charles Edward Pogue". IGN. Retrieved 1 May 2022.