Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back on our screens with his first TV series for Netflix.
The untitled spy adventure will feature Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro as father and daughter who, unbeknownst to each other, both work as CIA operatives. This eventual realisation causes riffs in their relationship, realising they don’t know each other as well as they originally thought. Upon being forced to team up as partners, the series will explore “universal family dynamics set against a global backdrop of spies, fantastic action and humour” according to Deadline.
Additional casting has recently been confirmed by Variety with the following actors appearing in series regular roles: Jay Baruchel, Aparna Brielle, Andy Buckley, Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster, Barbara Eve Harris, Gabriel Luna, Fabiana Udenio, Travis Van Winkle, Devon Bostick, David Chinchilla, Rachel Lynch, Stephanie Sy, and Scott Thompson.
Not only will Schwarzenegger play the starring role, but he will executively produce the series alongside Nick Santora who will also serve as show-runner. In more recent news, Phil Abraham, who has previously contributed to popular shows such as Daredevil and The Walking Dead, is also set to direct and executive produce the pilot episode.
In a statement to Deadline, Schwarzenegger spoke about his excitement for the upcoming series: “Fans from all over the world have been asking me for a wild ride like this for years, and now they’re finally going to get it because of our great partners at Skydance and Netflix. I am beyond pumped to start work on the show with Nick and Monica and the whole team.”
The original idea for the project was created and developed by Santora as part of his multi-year overall deal with Skydance media. The independent studio has previously produced popular series such as Jack Reacher, Grace and Frankie and Altered Carbon in collaboration with Netflix. Schwarzenegger also has a long-standing relationship with the studio which produced the last two films in the Terminator franchise, Genisys and Dark Fate.
With such strong credentials from both Santora and Skydance Television, it is reasonable to predict a successful reception for the upcoming series. It will also mark Schwarzenegger’s first move into TV being predominantly recognised as an action film star, with definitive roles such as the Terminator, Conan and John Matrix in Commando. Could this be a return of the cheesy one-liners and memorable action sequences? We’ll just have to stick around to find out.
Words by Katie Heyes
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.