Okay, so we all know that "The Governator" animated projects (film, TV and comics) were dropped almost two years ago but what you didn't know was that Arnold himself wrote us a personal statement about the show! We never posted this Arnold response here at TheArnoldFans because the series was shelved right after we got this fantastic Arnold response. Read on to hear what Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote to us to pass onto the fans!
Better late than never but first...the backstory to "The Governator" Animated Series! Within months of coming off of his far-too-long second term as Governor, Schwarzenegger gave his fans perhaps the most unexpected announcement ever: he would return to the world of entertainment as a 2D action hero for an international animated television series. At the Arnold Classic, he gave TheArnoldFans.com the big exclusive. After he told us about some scripts that he was considering, he brought up a top secret comic book character!
Schwarzenegger explained, “Well, first of all, it’s more like fifteen scripts that have been sent to me after people found out that I have been interested again in doing films, so I don’t want to bore anyone to go through those things, but there are the obvious ones from the Terminator scripts to remakes of Predator and The Running Man and all of those things. Then also there’s a lot of original stuff. But I am also packaging a comic book character right now. I’m going to announce that sometime at the end of March or the beginning of April.”
When the full story broke, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, and TheArnoldFans, people would learn all about this animated Arnold project. The story of this proposed weekly series centered on Schwarzenegger, playing himself, as he leaves the Governor’s office and retires but soon finds himself bored, unfulfilled and wanting to do more. He becomes a real action hero just like the ones from his films. The unemployed Governor decides to become a crime fighter to oppose the world’s worst villains, including an evil organization called Gangsters Imposters Racketeers Liars & Irredeemable Ex-cons (or G.I.R.L.I.E. Men, for short). Arnold told Entertainment Weekly, “When I ran for Governor back in 2003 and started hearing people talking about ‘the Governator,’ I thought the word was so cool. The word Governator combined two worlds: the world of politics and the movie world. And this [cartoon] brings everything together. It combines the Governor, the Terminator, the bodybuilding world, the True Lies.” Along with an underground Arnold Cave beneath his home in the Pacific Palisades, the Governator would have a fleet of super vehicles at his disposal, a closet full of “Super Suits” that would allow him to fly and perform other super stunts, and a team of teenaged sidekicks.
TheArnoldFans: Arnold and Stan Lee! This is brilliant. Please tell us more.
Schwarzenegger: “I love to challenge myself and constantly move forward, so The Governator was a natural move for me. It takes elements from all of my careers – just as I’ve always incorporated my three distinct careers, as a bodybuilder, an actor and a public servant, into my life – and melds them into something new. I can’t tell you how pumped I am to have a project that will literally entertain everyone, from toddlers to their great-great grandparents. It’s also fantastic to have a chance to work with someone like Stan Lee, who is an absolute legend. I mean, if the genius who created Spider-Man and the X-Men wanted to create a superhero based on your life, how could you say no? I look forward to being very involved in the development as we move ahead, and I know you guys at TheArnoldFans.com will love the results.”
Equipped with one of the most recognizable voices in the world, the larger-than-life Austrian action hero was thought to be destined toward the path of animation and studio sound stages. His huge impact on the pop culture of society had often been parodied or praised in animated series throughout the years. Fans clamored for The Oak to star in full-length animated feature films and cartoon series.
TheArnoldFans: I gotta say, the fans love your voice so thank you for reading two chapters on this new audio CD of the book. I will definitely be picking that up. I do have a question from the fans from TheArnoldFans.com: Have you ever thought about utilizing the world's most recognized voice for other projects...?
Schwarzenegger: "Well, that's a very good idea. Well, I'm ready. (Laughs) As if i'm already not busy enough."
It is nearly impossible to come up with every single series that contained an Austrian cyborg or muscleman, but several off the top of my head are McBain and Governor Schwarzenegger from The Simpsons, the Humvee from Pixar’s Cars, Jorgen von Strangle (the leader of Fairy World in The Fairly OddParents), Armhold Musclehugger from the Beetlejuice animated series, Arnold the Pit Bull from Tiny Toon Adventures, the anti-gay Terminator from Drawn Together, the Terminator from the South Park episode “Must Destroy Trapper Keeper” and “the ever impressive” Commando genie from Aladdin. I think it is time for the REAL Arnold to lend his voice in animation.
Although the series is Terminated, TheArnoldFans spoke with Archie Comics, once handling the comic book adaptation. Perhaps, with fan support, we can convince Arnold and Archie comics that we'd still like to see The Governator return in a glorious comic book form! Tell us what you think!