"Conan the Destroyer" originally received an R-rating like its predecessor, but the film was recut to secure a PG-rating. Fleischer delivered a movie that was less violent (and somewhat more humorous) than the first, although some scenes of violence have bloody results (the PG-13 rating did not exist until August of that same year). Carlo Rambaldi created the Dagoth monster. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mako Iwamatsu, who played the Wizard of the Mound and narrator in the first film, return for the second film, while Mako's character is now named Akiro. Sven-Ole Thorsen, who played Thorgrim in the first film, also returned, but this time he had to partially cover his face with a mask, as he was playing a different (yet more bearded) character. Singer Grace Jones performed the female warrior Zula, the last of her tribe. This was the seven-foot, one-inch-tall basketball player Wilt Chamberlain's only movie role and the debut of Olivia d'Abo, who played the petulant teenaged princess. David L. Lander was originally cast to play the foolish thief Malak, but due to his deteriorating health from the onset of multiple sclerosis, he was forced to quit the project, and the part was recast with Tracey Walter. Former professional wrestler Pat Roach, who memorably played the German Mechanic in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and the Thuggee Overseer in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", was cast as crystal palace Man Ape/sorcerer Toth-Amon. André the Giant played Dagoth, but was not credited in the film, as he was in costume. "Conan the Destroyer" was the fourth film on which British director of photography Jack Cardiff worked with Fleischer. Cardiff had already photographed "The Vikings" (1958), "Crossed Swords" (1977), and "Amityville 3-D" (1983) for the director. They worked together twice more on "Million Dollar Mystery" (1987), and Fleischer’s last film, the short "Call from Space" (1989), which was shot in the 65-mm Showscan process. Cardiff’s other notable films include John Huston's "The African Queen" (1951), King Vidor's "War and Peace" (1956), and "" (1985). However, he is best known for his extraordinary Technicolor photography on three films directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in the 1940s — "A Matter of Life and Death" (1946), "Black Narcissus" (1947, for which Cardiff won an Oscar), and "The Red Shoes" (1948).