Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed to star in thriller 'The Last Stand'

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Credit: AP Photo

He's back!

Action legend/former California governor/cheating husband Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed he will return to the big screen to star in the Lionsgate thriller "The Last Stand."

The film centers on Sheriff Owens (Schwarzenegger), an ex-LAPD office who now patrols the sleepy streets of the border town Sommerton Junction. He's rudely awakened when an escaped master criminal heads to Sommerton Junction in a specially outfitted car with a hostage and an army of gang members.

Korean director Kim Jee-Woon ("The Good, the Bad and the Weird") will helm the film,  written by Andrew Knauer and Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("The Day After Tomorrow").  Lorenzo di Bonaventura ("Transformers") is producing.

"Arnold Schwarzenegger will bring incredible magnetism to this complex but classic role," explained Lionsgate's Joe Drake of the perfect fit between the material and the star.  "When he came on the screen in 'The Expendables,' it always electrified the audience.  In this film, the Sheriff Owens character grapples with some really tough stuff, but ultimately triumphs, and we knew he’d truly elevate this high octane ride."

In the multiplexes, Schwarzenegger has only appeared in a string of cameo roles (including "The Expendables") since his last starring film, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," was released back in 2003. He's been in the news recently for his extra-marital affair, which resulted in a divorce from his longtime wife Maria Shriver, and the revelation that he fathered a son with his maid fifteen years ago. With this fresh in everyone's memory, it remains to be seen whether audiences will still want to see him blow stuff up and deliver snappy one-liners on screen.  

He'll also be seen in animated form in the upcoming series "The Governator," based on his larger-than-life persona.

Dave Lewis
Producer

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Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.