When I first heard about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s multi-media push for The Governator, I thought it was some kind of early April Fool’s joke. But not so, the actor has big plans for the character. The rollout already includes a comic book, internet shorts, and a FIFTY TWO episode animated TV series, and is now adding a 3D feature film to its lineup.
Wait, can you just say that you’re going to make a 52 episode TV series? Don’t you have to like pitch a show and have it get picked up and renewed? Or is Arnold just fronting all his own cash to ensure that it gets made no matter what?
“The Governator” himself will be a character voice by Arnold who fight crime and evil, succumbing only to his greatest arch enemies, insurmountable debt and bankruptcy! Alright, so I made that last part up, but it would seem to be his kryptonite. The man himself explained the concept at Cannes this morning:
“In public life when you are governor, you have to deal with keeping the beaches clean and making sure there is enough funding for the after school programs and lunch programs,” he told the packed press conference. “But as an action hero, you just have to save the world.” Schwarzenegger was seated in front of a sign with his animated image in Governator that said simply: “I’m back.”
Is this a cool idea, or an ego trip run wild? I get that the name “Governator” was rather humorous, but is it really worth millions in investment to attempt to turn it into a pop culture icon?
UPDATE: Here’s the trailer for the TV show. This is sort of hilarious. It’s like what it would be like if Arnold had a psychotic break after leaving office, and started running around trying to play superhero.
But yeah, outside of Arnold’s voice, this looks incredibly bland. The Black Eyed Peas aren’t helping matters either.