Arnie – Back in the Saddle Again

By Bennett Owen

Credit: Forum.santa.barbara

The Terminator – The Governator – The Philanderer – call him what you like, Arnold Schwarzenegger will reportedly begin filming this fall on a western tentatively named, “The Last Stand.” Sources describe it as “an old-fashioned western specifically designed for a 63-year old broken-down guy with a moral decision.”  An unnamed studio executive tells Deadline Hollywood, “We always needed an iconic figure for it.”

Credit: Dentonrc

Apparently the film will be a classic western that takes place in the present with Schwarzenegger playing a sheriff of a small border town in southern California.

Credit: joblo.com

Well, if they’re calling it a western, I’m counting it as one, further cementing my theory that the western genre is riding the crest of a comeback. Look at the evidence from the past 12 months alone:

• True Grit
• The Warrior’s Way
• Rango
• Meek’s Cutoff

And in just two weeks time and counting … Cowboys & Aliens! Surely the cinematic event of the summer!

And waiting in the wings we have -

• The Lone Ranger, with Johnny Depp as Tonto –
• Blood Meridian - Hollywood’s take on the classic by Cormac McCarthy

And several more are in the initial production stages. Then there are the true classics of the genre ... I think its time to do some additional research and put up the “Do Not Disturb” sign while I watch ‘The Outlaw Jose Wales’ for the 245^th time …

Credit: Lucchese