Some actors ease into retirement. Arnold Schwarzenegger is bench-pressing it.
At 78 years old, the Austrian-American action icon is undergoing what he's calling "brutal gym prep" for a Conan the Barbarian sequel, because apparently playing a barbarian warrior at an age when most people qualify for Social Security is perfectly reasonable behavior.
According to the New York Post, Schwarzenegger is training multiple times per day to prepare for the role, revisiting the character that launched his film career over four decades ago. The original Conan the Barbarian premiered in 1982, making this sequel one of the longest gaps between franchise installments in cinema history.
Is this a good idea? Probably not. Is it fascinating to watch? Absolutely.
Schwarzenegger has never been one for conventional retirement. After leaving the governor's office in California, he returned to action films with The Expendables series and multiple Terminator sequels. He's remained physically active through his seventies, regularly posting workout videos that put younger actors to shame. Still, playing Conan – a role that originally required him to be in arguably the best shape of his life – is a different level of ambition.
The cultural appetite for aging action stars has proven surprisingly durable. Harrison Ford played Indiana Jones at 80. Sylvester Stallone made Creed movies well into his seventies. Audiences seem willing to watch their heroes grow old on screen, as long as they're still swinging swords or punching bad guys.
Whether this particular sequel is necessary is debatable. The original films were products of their time – pulpy, violent, gleefully ridiculous. A modern version starring a 78-year-old could be either an interesting meditation on aging warriors or an expensive vanity project. Possibly both.
