Arnold Schwarzenegger likely to star in Kim Jee-woon pic

Arnold Schwarzenegger (left) and Kim Jee-woon [Reuters/10Asia]

Arnold Schwarzenegger may star in Korean director Kim Jee-woon's first English-language film, according to an overseas entertainment media outlet.

The Hollywood Reporter quoted sources as saying last week that Schwarzenegger is in early negotiations for the leading role in an indie crime thriller named "The Last Stand" by critically acclaimed director Kim Jee-woon.

Schwarzenegger is eyeing the role of a sheriff who chases after a cartel leader trying to escape to Mexico after breaking out of a courthouse.

If Schwarzenegger signs on for the role, this will be his first project since ending his seven-year term as governor of the state of California in January.

His last appearance on the big screen was for a cameo in 2010 hit action film "The Expendables" and leading character role in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" in 2003.

Kim Jee-woon, 46, has directed close to a dozen films during his 12-year filmmaking career including "A Tale of Two Sisters" (2003) and the critically-acclaimed "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" (2008).

"A Tale of Two Sisters," a horror flick starring actresses Moon Geun-young and Lim Soo-jung, was re-made into "The Uninvited" by DreamWorks in 2009 with Hollywood with actresses Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel.

"The Good, The Bad, The Weird," inspired by Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and was screened at a number of other film events including in Toronto, Hawaii and London.

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Jessica Kim jesskim@