Arnold Schwarzenegger to Star in Western

Can a post-scandal Arnold Schwarzenegger still fill a multiplex? Lionsgate is about to find out. According to Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood, the studio has signed the former Governator to star in Last Stand, a western that’s long languished in development. The damaged Schwarzenegger will reportedly make a whole lot less than he was offered for Cry Macho, which has been pushed back to at least February 2012 thanks to the scandal.

Last Stand should begin shooting in September, with director Kim-ji-Woon at the helm. It’ll be Kim’s first English-language film. “It's a property which a zillion directors fell in love with: the good, the bad, the weird,” one Lionsgate executive said. “It's an old-fashioned Western specifically designed for a 63-year-old broken-down guy.” Asked whether Arnold can still helm a movie, another exec replied, “I can tell you from The Expendables it was electrifying when Arnold came on. He is still a big piece of news. (More Arnold Schwarzenegger stories.)