Latino Review is reporting that 12-year-old Leo Howard (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Shorts), has been cast as the young Conan in Lionsgate's Conan.

Howard's role is "meaty, and the audience's first introduction to Conan for the first 15 minutes or so."

Jason Momoa plays the adult Conan for the rest of the film, which is directed by Marcus Nispel. Conan is in pre-production in Bulgaria.

The film is based on Robert E. Howard's mythical conqueror Conan the Barbarian. The new version is expected to be more faithful to Howard's original creation than were the Arnold Schwarzenegger films.

Conan is set for a 2010 release and stars Jason Momoa and Leo Howard.