Schwarzenegger's acting career: He'll be back... but how?

Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger's tenure as governor of California is up, he says he's ready to take up his old job again. "My friends at [talent agency] CAA have been asking me for 7 years when they can take offers seriously," he tweeted last week. "Gave them the green light today." But many are wondering what kind of movie roles the star can expect — and should pursue:

Anything but an action movie: Schwarzenegger is still an "icon for testosterone-fueled cinema," says Screen Junkies. "But the fact is, he's kinda old." We want our action heroes to look pumped and threatening, not "pale and sweaty." If it must be an action movie, then Schwarzenegger should take a "role that isn't as demanding physically." We want to remember him as he was in his prime.

"Should Schwarzenegger return to action movies?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It's likely to be a light comedy: Those hoping to see the Terminator star "kick some major ass" in 2012 likely will be disappointed, says Stephanie McKinny at Synthesis. His return won't be a "high-impact, boot-up-the-bad-guy's-ass" action movie. He's already ruled out any "extreme fighting" due to his age. "Think more along the lines of Kindergarten Cop."

"He told us he'd be back"

How about a sequel to The King's Speech? Given Hollywood's obsession with sequels, says John Horn in the Los Angeles Times, and Arnold's political reputation, I can see him taking a role in The King's Speech II. The plot will see "the newly elected president of Austria" (Schwarzenegger) attempting to calm the nation following a terrorist attack. Alas, "he's forgotten how to speak German, and the populace can't understand his heavily accented English." Only his "unorthodox speech therapist" (Gilbert Gottfried) can help him save the day.

"Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to acting, perhaps with these projects."