Generally, first shots make an important impact in the buzz for a film. Be they tantalizing glimpses of the set, blurry images of actors in costume, or even a prop lying around, early shots do a lot to generate excitement about a project. Of course, the reverse can also be true: sometimes early pictures can be underwhelming, laughable, or scandalous.

The first photos from the set of “Conan” are out, as well as the first pictures of Jason Momoa (pictured above with an ecstatic fan) as our favourite Cimmerian. What can they tell us about the direction of the film?

It all began with a poster on the official Robert E. Howard forums by the name of “Mikoza.” Mikoza initially posted some photographs from Dika Krusteva, who is working as an extra on the film. These were taken down in short order, and subsequent attempts to disseminate them have been quashed, but enough members saw the images to comment. The pictures showed an eclectic range of extras: scruffy, haggard warriors with hair in dreadlocks straight out of 10,000 B.C. wasn’t particularly appreciated, but the harem girls–who came in all manner of hues, heights, shapes & sizes–seem to have been embraced fairly enthusiastically. I certainly welcomed them, as they allayed my concerns that the film might end up populated with improbable beauties, and give further ammunition to the H.M.S. Puerile Adolescent Wish Fulfillment.

We also got a quick glimpse of the special effects, in what looked like a desert warrior suffering from a serious case of cleft torso: no doubt a victim of the Savage Sword of Momo. Overall, the general consensus appeared to be one to “wait and see,” since without lighting and cinematography, it’s hard to judge a film’s visual elements. Nonetheless, I and a few others felt a bit of a Hercules the Legendary Journeys-cum-The Scorpion King vibe. It was hard not to laugh at an image of a particularly tall, muscular chap, sword held in “Oscar pose,” face locked in a taciturn stare… with a pair of stylish silver-framed sports sunglasses shielding his eyes from the Bulgarian sun. It would’ve made a hell of an ad campaign for Oakley, I tell you that.

However, the most interesting of the photographs is the one which doesn’t seem to show anything in particular. At first glance, it seems to just show a broad view of the set, with two dreadlock-sporting warriors in the foreground and a fine steed in the centre. Then the eye is drawn to one individual in particular, in the left of centre: he’s taller and more muscular than anyone else in the picture, he’s shirtless where others are not, he has a lion-like mane of dark hair… Is this the first image of Jason Momoa as “Conan?”

Yes, Virginia, there is a Conan.

Fredrik Malmberg was quick to scuttle that ship: this was not, in fact, Coni Momoa’s baby boy.

Hi guys!

I was on that set that day and I can tell you it is NOT Jason Momoa…. It is one of his stunt doubles, but Jason looks a bit more..buffed up. I think I spotted Rodolfo the Friesian horse there though…

Diane, the publicist and I are working to share some official photos and hope to have them soon.

However, the muscular fellow in search of a shirt was Momoa’s stunt double… which means that while this isn’t Momoa as “Conan,” it is in fact an image of “Conan” nonetheless. Instantly, one can see where Patrice is coming from with his comments:

… These pics were enough to convince me a bit more that Momoa is an excellent Conan, as far as his looks is concerned. He is very close to the character as described by Howard: he is hairy, dark, scarred and muscular yet lithe, devoid of the body-builder physique syndrome. Really impressive.

I saw a muscular guy, but not a bodybuilder type. His skin his dark, but he doesn’t have the surfer look we could fear. I didn’t try to compare him to an artist’s depiction. I only wanted to see if he “looked the part”. So, basically, what I said; physically he has all the attributes of REH’s Conan, and none of the dull-witted Viking bodybuilder I was fearing we would get.

Though Momoa is apparently “more buff” than his stunt counterpart, one can clearly glean some things from the picture. He’s certainly quite different from the previous cinematic “interpretation”: rather than the luxurious brown hair, this Conan appears to have a more natural dark mane. “Nivekian” from the forums noted that the red wrap “Conan” is sporting is very similar to a costume he wore in Dark Horse’s Born on the Battlefield: that doesn’t inspire much confidence in me, but no doubt fans of Busiek’s origin story for Conan will be more impressed.

The next series of photographs came courtesy of Operation Kino.

“A gloomier land never existed on earth. It is all of hills, heavily wooded, and the trees are strangely dusky, so that even by day all the land looks dark and menacing. As far as a man may see his eye rests on the endless vista of hills beyond hills, growing darker and darker in the distance. Clouds hang always among those hills; the skies are nearly always grey and over-cast. Winds blow sharp and cold, driving rain of sleet or snow, and moan drearily among the passes and down the valleys. There is little mirth in that land, and men grow moody and strange.”

–Conan describes his homeland in “The Phoenix on the Sword” (draft)

So, what are we looking at here? The proliferation of mist, menacing & gloomy atmosphere, overcast sky and general vibe of the photographs has led many to conclude that this is “Conan’s” home village in Cimmeria. This seems a logical deduction to me, though others feel that it isn’t rugged enough for a Cimmerian dwelling, pointing to examples of pretty impressive Iron Age buildings of the Celts and Irish. Our own Deuce Richardson reminds us that the Cimmerians were tough people, and probably wouldn’t have spent an inordinate amount of time making cozy little homes. Personally, I would’ve liked to see a riff on Skara Brae or Jarlshof, but since the film is only going to spend ten minutes or so in Cimmeria, it’s obvious they wouldn’t be spending an awful lot on “Conan’s” home village.

However, there’s one really glaring problem for me: the trees. Where the hell are they? Cimmeria, “heavily wooded,” “darkly wooded,” with “dark woods masking slopes of sombre hills,” “slope beyond slope, each dark with sullen trees,” “dark woodlands brooding over all,” all shrouded in “the dimness of the everlasting woods,” was quite clearly a forest land, to the point of darkening the entire landscape in their shadow. There are a few clumps of trees and shrubs in the photographs, but there are barely enough plants there to qualify as shrubland, let alone forest. It would be nice to think the camera just happens to be pointed away from an actual forest, and that if the photographer did an about-turn, we’d be greeted with a thick forest of trees that are “strangely dusky, so that even by day all the land looks dark and menacing.” Of course, this would mean that the production is being faithful to Howard, which we already know it isn’t.

Finally, late-breaking news has come out, as we finally have our first shots of Jason Momoa in costume as “Conan.”

Momoa has clearly bulked up substantially since we last saw him, and he’s definitely in the Barry Windsor-Smith region of mass. Depending on Nispel’s skill, I could imagine good camera work making Momoa look pretty damn intimidating. In the first picture we see Momoa at ease, so it isn’t a good basis to judge his presence as “Conan”: most likely his posture would be very different once he’s “in the zone.” I’m particularly cheered to see that Momoa has seemingly conquered his fear of horse-riding, though I can’t help but think he still looks a bit daunted by the prospect of riding that great black stallion. I wonder if that’s the famous Rodolfo the Frisian he’s mounted upon…

So, when it comes to Momoa himself, I’m still a bit guarded. The costume’s a different matter entirely. “Conan” is clearly wearing a manica on one arm & pteruges around his waist–just add the distinctive Murmillo helmet, and you have the classic Roman gladiator, as famously depicted in art by Jean-Léon Gérôme’s Pollice Verso. Is this a sign the dreaded Aquiromans have returned? Will “Conan” yet again have a spell as a gladiator, despite Howard never mentioning him taking part in anything of the sort?

Less bothersome, but still worth noting, is the tribal necklace. Like the hoop earrings and furry nappy, this is an accessory which is not found in Howard’s stories, but is commonly included in illustrations, most famously by the Lancer illustrators and the myriad comic artists. It’s become something of a staple for Conan illustrations ever since, as a visual shorthand to hint at Conan’s more savage nature: it’s kind of hard to be rid of it, so I guess we’re stuck with the barbaric necklace.

There are other pictures up at the site. There are a few horse-mounted extras wearing what appears to be studded leather armour, padded coifs, & loose trousers: vaguely Medieval, though generic enough to be eastern or western. Medieval-looking folk, in the Hyborian Age? After years of foisting the Aquiromans and Greek-Hyborians through comics, games and pastiches, I’m almost shocked to see they’re finally getting this aspect of Howard right, especially knowing the rest of the stuff they didn’t–unless these are meant to be Shemites or Turanians. There is also a shot of a fortified carriage, which I assume is the slave transport carrying Tamara which is waylaid by “Conan” in his quest for vengeance.

All of these pictures, save one, take place in a forest–one that seems to consist of twenty-year-old trees–but there is one picture set indoors. This is a large, open space, dimly lit, and looks like a set piece. There is a big empty space straddled by walkways, a couple of people in cages are suspended from the ceiling, pillar-like object flank the set. I’d hazard a guess that this is the scene where “Conan” battles the gigantic Akhun (Nathan Jones) in Khalar Zym’s castle… and simply writing that sentence gives me physical pain.

Chris Hemsworth as The Mighty Thor

Well, it’s unfortunate that the first shots of Jason as “Conan” are so underwhelming. Lionsgate’s nonsense has prevented Malmberg & Paradox from releasing cleaned-up, enhanced studio photographs for publicity. One need only compare it to the recently revealed image of Chris Hemsworth as The Mighty Thor to see how unfortunate this is.

Here, we have a tantalizing glimpse that doesn’t give everything away, but gives just enough to get fans salivating. We can see Hemsworth’s face, his arm, and a portion of the armour: no shot of Mjolnir, or the famed winged helmet, but that can wait until closer to release. As a result, fan reaction is as could be expected: questions over the close-cropped beard and choice of armour over the classic Thor costume, skepticism over his musculature, and the usual fanboy banter. However, the casual fanbase–and I’m sure plenty of diehard Thor fans–are ecstatic with the shot.

It’s unlikely these shots of Momoa will do anything to convince the Ahnold fans that he could possibly live up to the man’s standard in musculature and imposing presence, nor will it impress anyone sitting on the fence over Momoa as the character. Howard fans are already burned over the film’s script, but reaction is, as ever, split roughly down the middle on Momoa himself.

One can only hope that this leak will convince the fools at Lionsgate to get to work on releasing a proper first look at “Conan.” The Marvel movies have generally been very good about this sort of thing, as are other genre films like Star Trek, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings–you’d think Lionsgate would be more careful about this, when one of the biggest factors in a film’s reception would be how Momoa looks as “Conan.” Let’s hope Lionsgate get cracking, and let Mr Malmberg et al release a picture of “Conan” that will get the average joe excited for the film–Crom knows they can’t convince the Howard fans.