Though Arnold Schwarzenegger took on some TV roles in his early career after Hercules in New York – including a lead part in the TV movie The Jayne Mansfield Story – he's never served in the lead role of a scripted live-action series. But hey, if Schwarzenegger is going to bring his action pedigree to the small screen, it might as well be happening in the ever-unpredictable 2020. Either way, I am down for it T-1000%.
Thankfully, Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't going against type for a cornball sitcom or anything like that. Rather, he's teaming up with Scorpion and Most Dangerous Game creator Nick Santora for a large-scale tale. While details are pretty scarce for the still-untitled project, Deadline reports that it will be a "global spy adventure" that will center on a father and daughter, with the real-life grandfather Schwarzenegger playing the elder. You just know he's not going to be one of those dads that lives his life in a recliner. (Maybe a hot tub, though.)
The casting process for the daughter character is reportedly underway, and that choice becomes all the more interesting and important with Arnold Schwarzenegger involved. Will the producers go with an actress with proven popularity and action chops, such as Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff or The Mandalorian's Gina Carano, or will they seek out a less familiar name? I imagine that conversation will also be tied to finances and budget details, as well as the all-important question of "Can this person realistically kick as much ass as Ah-nold on his worst day?"
To that budgetary end, the new project is in development with David Ellison's Skydance Television, which is behind Amazon's Jack Ryan and Netflix's recently cancelled Altered Carbon. So it makes sense that the adventure series is expected to soon get shopped around to various streaming companies. Expect for some pretty high bids on this project from Netflix, HBO Max and others, especially if the rest of the cast ends up being anywhere near as big a draw as Arnold Schwarzenegger is.
Oddly enough, Arnold Schwarzenegger did sign on earlier this year as producer and voice talent for a new TV show, the youth-skewing animated project Superhero Kindergarten, which was one of the final projects that Stan Lee had developed before his death. Prior to this, though, his most noteworthy TV role was his one-season stint heading up The New Celebrity Apprentice. On the film side of things, Schwarzenegger last gave the world the box office disappointment Terminator: Dark Fate and Viy 2: Journey to China, both in 2019, and his next role is in the upcoming martial arts comedy sequel Kung Fury 2. (I am also so very down for that sequel.)
Even beyond Arnold Schwarzenegger's action-filled filmography, Nick Santora behind the wheel also definitely makes this new project one to pay attention to. A former writer on crime dramas such as Prison Break and Law & Order, Santora went on to create CBS' Scorpion – which starred Schwarzenegger's T2: Judgment Day cast mate Robert Patrick – and also created Quibi's Most Dangerous Game and the recent Fugitive revamp with Kiefer Sutherland. His next project will be the upcoming Jack Reacher TV series, so that should also be something to look forward to.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more info on Arnold Schwarzenegger's first TV show as it becomes available to us. While waiting, check out our non-expendable Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are coming soon.
