We knew the upcoming Conan movie was in trouble when it was announced earlier this week that Mr. X3/Rush Hour 3 (i.e. Brett Ratner) would be directing it – but hey, a mediocre director is better than NO director.  Yes, if you picked up on that little nugget then your head’s in the right place – Brett Ratner is already off Conan (via LA Times).  Well, not off Conan exactly, but he’s definitely causing a stink about producer Avi Lerner’s decision to make a premature announcement regarding Ratner’s involvement with the project and his implication that this would be the Money Talks director’s next film.

“Let me make this very clear.  I am not doing Conan now. This is totally premature. For now, Conan is only a development deal. I have a deal at Paramount and I'm doing Beverly Hills Cop first, no matter what. Avi shouldn't be telling you or anyone else in the press what I'm doing," said Ratner, whose best known for thinking he’s some kind of maverick impresario.

While Ratner’s comments may sound a little aggressive, he must actually be in the right in this situation, because Avi Lerner then supported Ratner’s comments with his own interview in the Times – and Lord knows a producer would never admit they were wrong, even when they were in fact wrong.  Here’s what Lerner had to say on the topic:  "We still have a few obstacles.  Brett is only committed if we agree on a budget, on how to do the special effects and exactly where we'd shoot the film."

Well there you have it.  Ratner will only commit once the details fall into place.  In the meantime we’ll just have to wait for 2009’s new film take on Conan’s lady friend Red Sonja.  Which incidentally works out just fine, because as we all know it’s much easier to watch Rose McGowan prance around in her skivvies than an overwrought, effects-saturated, Brett Ratner-directed flick about a guy with his shirt off.  Actually, come to think of it, I’m not sure I ever want to see that movie…  So I guess it's good news all around.