Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known for his appearances in front of the camera. But he himself sat in the director’s chair twice. The result was not crowned with success.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is without a doubt one of the biggest action stars in cinema. Along with colleagues like Sylvester Stallone, he has shaped the genre. Films like Terminator, Conan and Total Recall are now cult classics and have sometimes made a lot of money.
In the early 1990s, however, Schwarzenegger wanted to try his hand at a different area of film. Instead of performing wild stunts and making cool jokes in front of the camera, he stepped behind it and practiced directing.
On MeinMMO we have collected seven facts about Arnold Schwarzenegger for you.
German trailer for “Total Recall” with Arnold Schwarzenegger
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A cult series and a terrible remake
Where did Schwarzenegger direct? In his long career, there are only two entries as a director. The first is from 1990 and concerns an episode of the horror series Tales from the Crypt.
There are a total of 93 episodes in seven seasons that ran between 1989 and 1996. The series is based on the comic book series of the same name and tells complete short stories. Schwarzenegger directed the second episode of the second season.
It’s about an aging millionaire who swaps his own body parts for those of a younger man in order to marry his lover. Typically for the series, the whole thing ends badly.
This first attempt at directing was not received too badly. Fans of the series remember the episode. But things are different with Schwarzenegger’s second directorial effort.
What else did the action star stage? Two years later, in 1992, Arni wanted to try again. He directed the film It’s Santa’s Fault. This is a remake of an older film that was released in 1945 under the name Christmas Made to Measure.
The original is considered a classic of American cinema and is still shown on television during the Christmas season. Schwarzenegger’s remake, on the other hand, was a critical flop. Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes even describe his work as an “unqualified failure”. The film would soon be forgotten.
The critics were not wrong. After all, hardly anyone thinks of these attempts as a director when they hear the name Schwarzenegger. His appearances in front of the camera are more likely to be remembered. Schwarzenegger did not get a coveted role once, however – you can read about that on MeinMMO.