Arnold Schwarzenegger Hints at Potential Returns to Iconic Franchises

Action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger has indicated he is open to reprising his roles in several of his most famous film franchises, including Predator, Commando, and Conan the Barbarian. The news emerged during the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, an annual sports competition considered the second-most-prestigious event in professional men’s bodybuilding after Mr. Olympia.

Predator: Dutch’s Potential Return

Following the inclusion of an epilogue scene in Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Prey (marketed as Predator: Killer of Killers) which showed the Dutch character being placed in cryogenic stasis by the Yautja, discussions about a potential return for Schwarzenegger have been ongoing. Trachtenberg previously confirmed he had met with Schwarzenegger to discuss future storylines as reported by Sporting News. Schwarzenegger confirmed these discussions, stating, “They did an additional Predator and the director has been doing a great job of that. Now, he wants me to be in the next Predator. We’ve talked about it. As a matter of fact, Fox Studios has kind of rediscovered ‘Arnold’. They’ve come to me and said, ‘We want you to do Predator, we just got a script for you to do ‘Commando 2’.”

Commando 2 in Development

In addition to Predator, Schwarzenegger revealed that 20th Century Studios has also approached him with a script for a sequel to Commando. This marks a renewed interest from the studio in revisiting some of Schwarzenegger’s classic roles.

Conan the Barbarian: King Conan on the Horizon

Movement is also reportedly happening on a new Conan the Barbarian film, likely focusing on an older version of the character, tentatively titled “King Conan.” Schwarzenegger indicated that filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie, known for his work on the recent Mission: Impossible films, has been hired to write and direct. “They just hired a fantastic writer/director who did Tom Cruise’s last four movies. They just hired him to write and direct King Conan,” Schwarzenegger said. “Now, what they do is that they write the part. They don’t write them like I’m forty years old, you write it to be age-appropriate. I’ll still go in there and kick some ass but it will be different.”

The storyline for “King Conan” would reportedly depict Conan forty years into his reign as king, forced to confront conflict and reclaim his kingdom, incorporating elements of magic, creatures, and special effects.

Previous attempts to develop a “King Conan” film, such as “King Conan: Crown of Iron” in the early 2000s, fell through. The franchise was later rebooted in 2011 with Jason Momoa in the lead role.

The Arnold Sports Festival

The Arnold Sports Festival, named in honor of Schwarzenegger, is a major event in the world of bodybuilding and fitness, second in prestige only to Mr. Olympia. As BarBend reports, the festival includes the Arnold Classic bodybuilding contest, strongman competitions, and a fan expo.