Jason Momoa enrolled in an intense six-week training program at a stunt and martial arts academy in Los Angeles for his part while still finalizing negotiations for the film.
Jason Momoa is by his own admission afraid of horses, so all his horse riding scenes had to either be faked or filmed with doubles.
Dolph Lundgren, then Mickey Rourke, were in talks to play Corin, Conan's father, but Rourke turned it down to do Immortals (2011) before Ron Perlman was cast.
Jason Momoa and Rachel Nichols would later be offered the roles of Drax the Destroyer and Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Both turned the roles down, and Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldana, respectively, took them. All four were present for PR tours of projects the same day in 2009, passing The Rose Playhouse /Museum, where that movie would have a large PR day afterward in London, UK.
While in pre-production, Conan was a temporary title for the film, until it was changed to Conan 3D. Finally, early in December 2010, the title was changed to Conan the Barbarian, the same as the 1982 film.