Arnold Schwarzenegger fans everywhere will see today as another major step towards his big screen comeback as his return film The Last Stand just began principal photography. Although heavily hyped as Arnold’s first crack at a starring role since leaving his position as the governor of California, the film is also noteworthy in that it marks director Kim Jee-woon’s (The Good, the Bad, the Weird) English-language debut. The story sees Arnold as the sheriff of a small border town who has resigned himself to a quieter life after leaving the LAPD. When a drug kingpin makes a run for the border, the sheriff is called into action in a last-chance effort to apprehend the criminal. The supporting cast has also finally been rounded out, and it features an interesting assortment of character actors to say the least.

According to an official press release, the following actors have been added into the mix: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Luis Guzman (Boogie Nights), Johnny Knoxville (Jackass), Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights), Peter Stormare (Fargo), and Harry Dean Stanton (Alien). Unfortunately, no information has been provided regarding which characters any of these people would play, but I’m sure we’ll find out in due time.

The Last Stand is based on a spec script by Andrew Knauer that was later rewritten by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor, The Day After Tomorrow), and shooting will take place in New Mexico and Nevada. With this combination of talent involved, I’m definitely interested to see what the final product will look like. Even though many foreign directors struggle to succeed at English-language films for one reason or another – and Kim Jee-woon could follow that trend – my curiosity has been piqued. Plus, it will be nice to see Schwarzenegger back doing his thing. What are your thoughts on how The Last Stand is shaping up thus far?