Arnold Schwarzenegger Will Star In A Spy Adventure TV Series For 'Jack Ryan' Showrunner
Arnold Schwarzenegger is headed to the small screen. Skydance is currently developing a new global spy adventure TV series that Schwarzenegger will produce and star in, marking the first time the blockbuster star and former governor will headline a narrative TV show. The spy story centers around a father and daughter, which will no doubt immediately make some think this is a True Lies spin-off series, even though it's not.
Deadline has the scoop on the Arnold Schwarzenegger TV series, which doesn't have a title yet. All we know for now is that it's a "global spy adventure with a father (Schwarzenegger) and daughter at the center of the story." That sounds potentially fun, and Schwarzenegger has some experience blending spy thrillers with familial drama, having done so in James Cameron's True Lies.
The series hails from creator Nick Santora, who is "developing and executive producing the spy drama as part of his overall deal with Skydance Television." Santora is currently the showrunner of Amazon's Jack Ryan. While Skydance has yet to find a home for this new series, they're expected to start shopping it around to streaming services. I have no doubt there'll be plenty of interest, too. Sure, Arnold isn't the huge blockbuster movie star he once was, but he remains an iconic figure, and the idea of him headlining a TV series for the first time is bound to garner attention. Schwarzenegger did do a brief stint as the star of The Celebrity Apprentice, but honestly, life would be better if we forgot any form of The Apprentice ever existed.
Schwarzenegger will executive produce this new series alongside Skydance's David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost, with Carolyn Harris seeing the project for the company. There was a time when Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, but his movie career hasn't had the same oomph it once had. Still, I remain a fan. I even think he's become a better actor in his later years, relying less on his physicality and more on his (admittedly limited) emotional range. Fingers crossed that this turns out to be a show worth watching.