Conan the Barbarian crashes the Lionsgate

Avi Lerner’s obsession with muscle men continues. The Nu Image/Millennium boss has inked a deal with Lionsgtate that’ll see the shingle release Lerner’s “Conan the Barbarian” remake, says Variety. Lionsgate of course is the distributor of the Lerner-produced “Rambo” starring Sylvester Stallone, due out at the end of the month.The pic, written by the team of Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (“Sahara,” “Cowboys & Aliens”), is planned to be the first in a whole series of new Schwarzenegger-less “Conan” flicks. The first has a date with a camera later this year. “I’m very happy with [Lionsgate’s] Jon Feltheimer and his whole team. They understand the business and the value of money better than a lot of studios,” Lerner said. “We will finance the movie, but the idea is to work closely with them on a creative level and use their experience.” The only name that’s been mooted thus far for the lead in the $100 million dollar pic is “300” it-boy Gerard Butler.