I sound like a broken record these days, but for a glimpse of what the film could have been without Marcus Nispel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Nispel) as a director, pick up a copy of Michael A. Stackpole's adaptation (http://www.amazon.com/Conan-Barbarian-Michael-Stackpole/dp/0425242064/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314995454&sr=1-1) of the film.
The nuance, the humor, and the character arc in the earlier drafts of the screenplay showed through here. You watch the final film and you can see where the potential Nispel squandered.
For some great thoughts on what it's like to act as a script doctor, check out this article (http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/conan-the-barbarian-screenwriter-answers-whats-it-like-to-flop-at-the-box-office/) on the writing of the film and the different drafts the screenplay went through.
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The nuance, the humor, and the character arc in the earlier drafts of the screenplay showed through here. You watch the final film and you can see where the potential Nispel squandered.
For some great thoughts on what it's like to act as a script doctor, check out this article (http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/conan-the-barbarian-screenwriter-answers-whats-it-like-to-flop-at-the-box-office/) on the writing of the film and the different drafts the screenplay went through.