Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights," "The Rundown") has been hired by Universal to direct "Bran Mak Morn," a fantasy adventure based on the works of "Conan" creator Robert E. Howard.

Although not nearly as well known Conan's adventures, this story "mixes the historical with the fantastical as the title character, a mythical king of ancient Britain, forges an alliance with supernatural troops to contest the unstoppable forces of the Roman Empire."

After coming off a somewhat low-key sports drama, Mr. Berg had this to say about his new project: "I've always been a big fan of action fantasy, loved 'Conan' as a kid and had been looking for something with that kind of scope and muscularity."

Mr. Howard's work will be adapted into screenplay form by John Romano ("Intolerable Cruelty"). Working Title Films is rolling the dice on their biggest project to date, but "epic fantasy adventures" are the new rage, so we'll wish them the best of luck.

No word on if Universal will be sticking with the title of "Bran Mak Morn" -- but I wouldn't bet on it.