Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 American sword and sorcery/adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan. The cast also includes  Mako Iwamatsu,  Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain, Tracey Walter and Olivia d’Abo. It is the sequel to Conan the Barbarian 1982.

When John Milius, director of Conan the Barbarian, proved to be unavailable for the sequel, Dino De Laurentis suggested Richard Fleischer to his daughter Raffaella De Laurentiis, who was producing Conan the Destroyer. Fleischer had already made Barabbas (1961) and Mandingo (1975) for Dino De Laurentiis.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the help of Will Hatty, put on an extra 5 kilograms (10 pounds), at director Richard Fleischer’s request, to play Conan in this film. Singer Grace Jones  gave a noteworthy performance as the female warrior Zula. This would be the first major role for seven-foot, one-inch-tall basketball player Wilt Chamberlain. The musical score of the film was composed, conducted and produced by Basil Poledouris, and Jack Cardiff was the director of photography.

Previous film Conan the Barbarian, made approximately $40 million at the U.S. box office when it was released in 1982 with an R-rating, and an additional $50 million in international markets. Universal Pictures and producer Dino De Laurentiis thought it would have been even more successful if it had been less violent. So they decided to tone down the violence in the sequel. Conan the Destroyer originally received an R-rating like its predecessor, but the film was recut in order to secure a PG-rating. Fleischer made a movie that was less violent (and somewhat more humorous) than the first.

The film was successful at the box office,  grossing a respectable $31,042,035 in the U.S. and an additional $69 million in international markets, with the film grossing a combined total of $100,042,035. However critical response was not as strong as for the original film.

Arnold Schwarzenegger ( born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American actor, filmmaker, businessman, investor, author, activist, former professional bodybuilder and politician. He served two terms as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.

Schwarzenegger began weight training at the age of 15. He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport. He is widely considered to be among the greatest bodybuilders of all times as well as its biggest icon. Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action actor. His breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery John Milius’ epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982, which was a box-office hit and resulted in a sequel. In 1984, he appeared in James Cameron’s science-fiction thriller film The Terminator, which was a massive critical and box-office success. Schwarzenegger subsequently reprised the Terminator character in the franchise’s later installments in 1991, 2003, and 2015. He appeared in a number of successful films, such as Commando (1985), The Running Man (1987), Predator (1987), Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and True Lies (1994). He was nicknamed the “Austrian Oak” in his bodybuilding days, “Arnie” during his acting career.