It’s been known for a while now that Ant-Man and The Wasp/ Killjoys star, Hannah John-Kamen would be playing the lead in the upcoming reboot of Red Sonja, a film that we’re sure is being eyed as a way to universe build their way back into a Conan The Barbarian franchise. Now, we’re hearing that the male lead role for the film has been offered to none other than acha Baron Cohen. We can’t help but notice the symmetry in their thee-word names. It would only work better if they were trying to kill a president.
In the news from The Illuminerdi, It’s been revealed that the Borat star has been offered the role of Kulan Gath. The character of Gath has had a long and storied past in both the Conan franchise as well as several appearances as a villain in modern Marvel comics, facing off against everyone from Spider-man, The New Mutants, The Avengers, and Doctor Strange. If you aren’t familiar with his early history, here’s the recap via Wikipedia:
Kulan Gath was a sorcerer in Earth’s Hyborian Era, the ancient time period in which Conan the Barbarian lived. At some point, he marries the witch Vammatar in an alliance to obtain the power of the demon Shuma-Gorath. He has an apprentice named Razal Gulath, and is an enemy of the immortal vampire-like mutant named Selene. In his first appearance, he seeks the power of the Melnibonéan sorceress Terhali, who had been exiled to Earth and placed in suspended animation; when Terhali awoke, she disintegrated Kulan Gath with a magical bolt of energy.
This proves to be only a setback for Kulan Gath, as he had achieved effective immortality by placing his life energy into a magical amulet. He eventually regains his body, allied with Vammatar, and fought Conan and Red Sonja. Kulan Gath and his bride were apparently destroyed when they attempted to control the demon Shuma-Gorath. Kulan Gath returned again in the miniseries Conan: The Flame and the Fiend, thanks to the efforts of his new wife, Armati, but he was killed by Conan. At some point, his body was restored, but his heart was cut out by Red Sonja; a silhouetted scene in Marvel Saga No. 1 suggests that this may have occurred with the assistance of Conan.