Actor to play the new Conan The Barbarian has been cast

Well, finally. The world might not quite have been on tenterhooks waiting to find out who would claim the rebooted throne of Conan (and see their enemies driven before them and hear the blah blah etc), but for everyone who was invested: rejoice! We have a new Barbarian. His name? Jason Momoa.

Best known for his role as Ronon Dex in Stargate Atlantis, Momoa beat out the likes of Supernatural's Jared Padalecki and Twilight's Kellen Lutz for the part in Marcus Nispel's retooled version.

As we reported just yesterday, the casting choice, after a long struggle between at least five actors, had come down to those three. According to Deadline Hollywood, Momoa clinched it with an sword-wielding screen-test and a charm offensive at Lionsgate.

And in related Conan news, Latino Review has it that none other than Mickey Rourke has been sent an offer to play Conan's father, Corin. Hhhm… Can't say there's a massive resemblance, but that's for Marcus Nispel to worry about.

All being well, the new film should kick off shooting mid-March in Bulgaria, news which will be greeted with a massive sigh of relief from the producers who will finally get to see this thing move into production.

/Empire Online/