Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning on a return to cinema with a Western?

Deadline seems to think so, and they have the story:

The Lionsgate project has been off, then on, then off, and now on again. The studio in May had been on the verge of announcing that Arnold Schwarzenegger was starring in its long-in-development Western titled Last Stand, set up as the English-language debut of director Kim-ji-Woon. Then the actor pulled out just before his personal scandal went public and deep-sixed his marriage to Maria Shriver. But now the actor is back in the project and aiming to test his popularity post-divorce. I've learned that Arnold's deal with Lionsgate is not nearly as rich as the one CAA made for him in QED International's Cry Macho, which was a $12.5M salary plus 25% first dollar gross back end. (See my previous, Schwarzenegger Closes Next Film: Worldwide Rights Will Sell At Cannes Fest) Poor Bill Block brought that project to Cannes in the middle of Schwarzenegger's scandal and now it looks to be dead or at best delayed until February 2012. So now Last Stand would start in September of this year. "It's a property which a zillion directors fell in love with: the good, the bad, the weird," a Lionsgate exec told me when I first heard Schwarzenegger was in. "It's an old-fashioned Western specifically designed for a 63-year-old broken-down guy with a moral decision whether Arnold decides to stand up for his town. We always needed an iconic figure for it." When I asked Lionsgate if Arnold is still a star despite the scandal, an exec assured me, "I can tell you from The Expendables it was electrifying when Arnold came on. He is still a big piece of news."

Liam Neeson had been attached at one point, but he kept pushing it back as his schedule grew more crowded. Ultimately, Lionsgate moved on. Arnold then fell in love with the movie several months ago, and Lionsgate spent the ensuing time snagging a director. The studio had already pre-sold the $30M-budgeted movie overseas with Liam so will tell its partners about the switch to Arnold shortly. Schwarzenegger briefly teamed up with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee to create a toon superhero based on his nickname while in office, The Governator. But that project got put on hold because of the scandal, too.

-Joey's Two Cents: I'd see it...thoughts?

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Hollywood Career is Over – Three Projects Cancelled

Things just keep getting worse for Arnold.

First, he announced his 25 year marriage with Maria Shriver was over.

Next he admitted to an affair with an ex-housekeeper and fathering a love child that is now 13-years-old.

And now Hollywood is putting the brakes on his future movie career.

Arnold’s damage control firm released a statement yesterday saying,

“At the request of Arnold Schwarzenegger we asked Creative Artists Agency to inform all his motion picture projects currently underway or being negotiated to stop planning until further notice. Mr. Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines. We will resume discussions when Governor Schwarzenegger decides.”

From what we hear it was not as much a matter of Arnold bowing out, but rather the studios pulling the plug on the actor because of his current “personal matters”.

In fact, Arnold had several big deals in the works including a return to his role in a “Terminator” sequel. It was a sure thing and studios were lining up to make it happen. Not anymore.

Arnold had also entered into a deal with comic book legend Stan Lee to produce a television series called “The Governator” lending his voice talents to the lead crime fighting character. Unfortunately, the series was to show Arnold fighting crime with the help of his wife Maria and their four children. Awkward.

A rep says,

"In light of recent events, A Squared Entertainment, POW, Stan Lee Comics, and Archie Comics, have chosen to not go forward with the Governator project."

Another project that has now been taken off the table is “Cry Macho”, about a retired horse trainer who gets caught up in an international kidnapping scheme.

The film was written by Richard Nash, and was to be directed by Brad Furman, and produced by Bill Block and Albert Ruddy - but not anymore.

The other movie deal in the works was “The Last Stand”, where Arnold would have played a sheriff chasing a drug cartel leader who busts out of a courthouse and runs for the Mexico border.

This film was written by Andrew Knauer and scheduled to be directed by Jee-woon Kim.

Both movie projects were in pre-production with filming to start in 2011-2012 with a release date of late 2012 or early 2013.

Nobody is saying for sure that these projects will NEVER happen, just that they have been taken off the table “until sometime in the future”.

If things blow over for Arnold I suspect we could see him wiggle back in to the movie biz, but if the public (and Hollywood) turn on him then it’s over.

Hasta la vista, baby

Arnold explains the real reason he split from Maria Shriver.


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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wife Maria Shriver Announce Separation

I guess we’re going to have to file this one under “Didn’t see that one coming”.

After 25 years of marriage, the ex-Governor of California and “terminator” star Arnold Schwarzenegger, 63, has separated from his wife Maria Shriver.

In a statement released to the media the ex-couple said,

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us. After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together. We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives. We consider this a private matter, and neither we nor any of our friends or family will have further comment. We ask for compassion and respect from the media and the public."

We do know that Arnold is getting back into the movies and already has two productions underway with “The Last Stand” and “Cry Macho”.

“Cry Macho” is about retired horse trainer who gets caught up in an international kidnapping scheme.

“The Last Stand” is about a drug cartel leader who busts out of a courthouse and flees to Mexico where the only thing in his path is a sheriff (Arnold) and his staff.

Arnold has also told insiders that he wants to do another “Terminator” movie.

Maria Shriver worked for NBC as a journalist and is active in several charity organizations. Maria’s mother was the sister of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy .

Here is an interesting fact:

During Arnold’s two terms in office the couple never lived together and Arnold commuted to Sacramento by private jet. The couple spent weeks not seeing each other and were frequently on opposite coasts.

Maybe we should have seen this one coming, or maybe we just didn’t want to believe it.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to 'Cry Macho'!

Via Variety:

Arnold Schwarzenegger has verbally committed to star in the indie drama "Cry Macho" -- but he hasn't decided whether it'll be his first film after leaving the governor's office.

"Gov. Schwarzenegger has not made a decision about what his first movie project will be," his spokesman told Variety on Friday. "There are a number of possibilities, but as of right now, no decision has been made."

"The Godfather" producer Al Ruddy is behind the long-gestating project, based on the 1975 novel by late author N. Richard Nash, who adapted the screenplay before his 2000 death. Brad Furman ("The Lincoln Lawyer") is attached to direct; Bill Block's QED Intl. is also involved as a producer and co-financier.

"Cry Macho" would find Schwarzenegger playing an alcoholic horse trainer who becomes a pawn in an international kidnapping plot after losing his wife and child. Forced to work for a hedge fund magnate, he's told to retrieve the man's mischievous young son, who is living with his wealthy ex-wife in Mexico.

Schwarzenegger has given Ruddy and the rest of the "Cry Macho" team the go-ahead to use his participation as part of their pitch as they put financing together. Ruddy and Block will raise coin on the Croisette at Cannes, with the hope of going into production later this summer.

All sides are working together, but Schwarzenegger has not signed an official letter of attachment to either "Cry Macho" or Lionsgate's "Last Stand," another project Schwarzenegger has been considering.

In any case, it seems Summit's Antoine Fuqua-directed thriller "The Tomb" is no longer in the picture.

And in recent days, Schwarzenegger has become part of a "Terminator" package being shopped to studios by his reps at CAA that has "Fast Five" helmer Justin Lin attached to direct. This comes on the heels of Schwarzenegger announcing a 52-episode children's animated TV series "The Governator" in the works that will be produced by comicbook biz legend Stan Lee and Andy Heyward.

The future looks bright for Schwarzenegger, but it remains unclear which picture he'll first appear in.

-Joey's Two Cents: If done right, this could be a baity role for Arnold...thoughts?

Arnold Schwarzenegger to return to the Terminator franchise!

Via Deadline:

He's baaack! Arnold Schwarzenegger is attached to star in a rights package that CAA is shopping today that will revive The Terminator, one of Hollywood's most iconic scifi franchises. The agency is dropping the package on studios this afternoon. I'm told that already, Universal, Sony and Lionsgate, and CBS Films are looking hard at the package. There is no screenwriter attached at this point, and Robert Cort is producing. This is the first real activity on The Terminator project since February 2010, when the property emerged from a bankruptcy auction and into the possession of Pacificor. The Santa Barbara-based hedge fund posted a bid of $29.5 million, with the promise that additional multimillion-dollar payments for each film would go to Halcyon, the company that made the 2009 McG-directed Terminator Salvation. That film starred Sam Worthington as the cyborg and Christian Bale as John Connor, and the storyline launched the battle between Skynet and the human survivors of the apocalypse, the war foreshadowed in James Cameron's visionary 1984 original film. Halcyon wanted to make several films but ran out of money. At the time of the auction, Pacificor beat out a combined bid by Lionsgate and Sony planning to make back-to-back sequels to bring the franchise to a natural creative conclusion.

While many felt at the time that Pacificor overpaid and that Lionsgate and Sony would have been better matches for the material, CAA has chosen an optimum time to seek a new deal. I wrote back in February that Universal quietly was trying to arrange for Lin to be helmer of the project. At the time, some turned up their noses. Given the strong international grosses being racked up by Fast Five and the expectations for a strong domestic opening this Friday, Lin has a lot of heat. And Schwarzenegger is looking to recapture past marquee glory ending his run as California State Governor. Schwarzenegger has circled several projects including Last Stand for Lionsgate, but here, he's the star, returning to the signature role that once established him as the world's biggest movie star.

Much like the Superman property, The Terminator has a ticking clock on the rights. There is a stipulation in copyright law that if you assign your rights, you get them back in 35 years. In this case, Cameron assigned his rights to Hemdale, and the North American rights will revert back to him in 2018. Now, Cameron has more or less washed his hands of the Terminator franchise, but I'm told a new deal would have to be made with him if the plan was to keep making Terminator installments beyond that period. There is plenty of time to make at least two Terminator films before that happens, and that might be sufficient to end the saga that so far has spanned four films. Any financier that makes those films owns them free and clear. Rumor is the project price tag is at least $25 million upfront, against a purchase price near $36 million, not including paydays for Schwarzenegger or Lin. It would stand to reason because of the amount Pacificor paid in 2010 and the interest it has carried since. I'm told there is no set price, but this will likely be a whopping sale by the time the dust has settled and the bidding is complete.

-Joey's Two Cents: I'm not that big on Lin in the director's chair, but Arnold back as the big guy certainly works for me...thoughts?