First Look At Arnold Schwarzenegger In ‘The Last Stand’

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been easing back into his acting gig since retiring from California’s political scene. His only two credits since 2004 have been Sylvester Stallone’s two ‘Expendables’ movies. But the Governator’s going to tackle his first leading role come January when ‘The Last Stand’ opens, and this morning, we have our first look at Arnold in character.

Truthfully? It looks like Arnold on any other days of the week. The sunglassed hero will play Sheriff Ray Owens, a cop in a sleepy border town who’s forced into action when a notorious drug kingpin escapes custody and attempts to flee into Mexico … funneling straight through Owens’ town.

The 65-year-old Schwarzenegger tells USA Today about his character, saying:

He hasn't had to flex his muscles in a while, so when the gangsters come to town, it's a big test. … I guess I could have started slow and eased into it. But it felt amazing to be back jumping off buildings, seeing huge explosions, getting in car chases and throwing punches.

Korean director Jee-woon Kim makes his English-language premiere with ‘The Last Stand,’ which co-stars Forest Whitaker, Peter Stormare, Jaimie Alexander, Harry Dean Stanton, Luis Guzman and Johnny Knoxville.

But it’s clearly Arnold’s show, and audiences likely will grab a ticket out of curiosity, to see whether the ‘Last Action Hero’ has some fight left in him. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who produces, says of Schwarzenegger, “You're rooting for him more because he's more like us. And he gets up and keeps on going. When he needs to be Arnold, he's Arnold. … He's having a ball. He loves being back and making movies."