Arnold Trailer: Schwarzenegger Teams Up With Netflix To Tell His Life Story
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a significant cultural force in Hollywood for more than 40 years, taking time out to launch a political career and generally conquer the world during that time. After becoming arguably the greatest bodybuilder to ever do it, Arnie parlayed his bodybuilding fame into Hollywood stardom, becoming one of the biggest action stars in the industry. Not bad for a guy who started out driving tanks in the Austrian army.
Now, Netflix will tell the man's incredible life story in a three-part documentary series that promises to chart Schwarzenegger's journey "from rural Austria to the highest echelons of the American dream."
The streamer has released a trailer for "Arnold," which is set to debut next month and promises to unveil previously unseen footage of the Austrian Oak, alongside candid interviews with Schwarzenegger and various friends. Interestingly, the trailer also seems to reveal that Netflix has shot a bunch of reenactments to dramatize various parts of the star's life, especially his early years spent in Austria.
Even more intriguing is the fact the documentary seems to address some of Schwarzenegger's scandals and missteps, with the seven-time Mr. Olympia winner saying at one point, "I've caused enough pain for my family." Still, this docuseries seems to have been made with the actor's full support, so just how in-depth these sections will actually get remains unclear. Either way, from the look of the trailer, this will be an impressively wide-ranging retelling of Arnie's life story.
Arnie's comeback?
According to Deadline, "Arnold" is directed by Lesley Chilcott, who's known more for making documentaries that focus on social and environmental justice, producing films including "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Waiting for Superman." Allen Hughes, who just directed Hulu's documentary series "Dear Mama" about Tupac Shakur and his mother Afeni, will executive produce the series.
The "Arnold" trailer follows news that Schwarzenegger will return to the big screen with action thriller "Breakout," which will mark his first appearance in a big theatrical release since 2019's "Terminator: Dark Fate." He's also set to star in another Netflix project, "FUBAR," before this project comes out. That scripted spy comedy is headed by "Reacher" showrunner Nick Santora, and will see Schwarzenegger go into full-on action dad mode as a CIA operative who's close to retirement.
Since venturing into politics and becoming Governor of California, Schwarzenegger has had an on-again/off-again relationship with Hollywood. There's no doubt the high point of his acting career came in the '80s and '90s, and since he retired from politics, he's been showing up in a slew of lesser known film projects, including 2013's "Escape Plan" alongside former rival Sylvester Stallone and 2017's "Killing Gunther," before appearing in the disappointment that was "Terminator: Dark Fate." But with his latest projects, these two Netflix shows included, he looks to be launching somewhat of a comeback. And as long as "Arnold" at least recounts the time Schwarzengger tricked Stallone into starring in the flop "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot," I'll be happy to cheer him on.
"Arnold" arrives on Netflix on June 7, 2023.