Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the big screen in 'The Last Stand'
When news broke about Arnold Schwarzenegger鈥檚 impending divorce from his longtime wife Maria Shriver (and the infidelity that inspired it), the former action movie star titan and retreated from the limelight.
Jump ahead a couple of months to the present, and the actor has selected his first post-scandal starring vehicle: , one of numerous projects earlier this year.
says that Schwarzenegger has secured a deal to headline the gritty western, which will mark the English-language directorial debut of Korean filmmaker Ji-Woon Kim (, The Good, the Bad, the Weird). , the movie previously set to mark Schwarzenegger鈥檚 return to the acting ring, is reportedly either 鈥渄ead or at best delayed until February 2012."
The Last Stand will revolve around an aging, but still capable, U.S. sheriff (Schwarzenegger) who must track down the leader of a deadly drug cartel and prevent them from reaching the Mexican border. Although the project was originally being envisioned as a $30 million effort with in the lead, that price tag will likely change now that the Governator himself is onboard.
Kim has previously offered the following, with regards to his plans for The Last Stand:
鈥淢y concept for 鈥楾he Last Stand鈥� is that it鈥檚 kind of a combination of 鈥�Die Hard鈥� and 鈥楬igh Noon鈥� where [the latter] was about protecting something very important that needs to be protected, while 鈥楧ie Hard鈥� is a very drawn-out, long process that almost kills someone in the process鈥� 鈥楾he Last Stand鈥� would be where someone puts their lives on the line to protect something that鈥檚 very important and it will be a bit more optimistic film in that regard.鈥�
Needless to say, Schwarzenegger (or, at least his agent) knows EXACTLY what he鈥檚 doing by moving ahead with The Last Stand next. An old-fashioned adventure tale about an aging, self-sacrificial cowboy who goes out of his way to see that justice is done, reads as being a potentially great return-to-form for Schwarzenegger 鈥� one that will portray him in both a heroic light and includes his deteriorating physique as a plot point, essentially.
The Last Stand is also less likely to imitate a recent would-be comeback vehicle for a scandal-ridden star ( with Mel Gibson) and be virtually ignored at the box office. Fans of Kim鈥檚 previous films will certainly be interested to see him cross over into Hollywood territory; plus, this is the kind of project a lot of Schwarzenegger fans will want to see.
We鈥檒l keep you posted on the status of The Last Stand as more information is released.
Source:
Sandy Schaefer blogs at .
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