Arnold Schwarzenegger is a spy for the CIA in the first trailer for the Netflix show FUBAR. There was a time when it would have been unthinkable for movie stars as big as Nicole Kidman, Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone to sign on for roles in TV shows. But in recent years, the line between big-screen and small-screen star has become increasingly blurred, as all those big names and more have headlined major TV and streaming projects.
The latest big movie star to follow Ford, Kidman and the others across line to the small screen is Schwarzenegger, whose upcoming Netflix series FUBAR has just dropped its first trailer.
The brief clip somewhat shamelessly plays on Schwarzenegger’s action star image, featuring the actor uttering the line “I’m back, baby,” a play on his famous Terminator line “I’ll be back.” But Schwarzenegger isn’t necessarily the invincible action hero of old in FUBAR, as teased by a moment where he takes a low blow and responds with some of his signature grunts.
Everything We Know About FUBAR
Reacher EP Nick Santora is the creator of FUBAR, heading up a list of producers that also includes Sopranos episode director Phil Abraham. The synopsis for FUBAR (previously titled Utap) reads as follows:
Luke and his daughter Emma have lied to each other for years, both of them not knowing the other is a CIA operative. Once they both learn the truth, they realize they don't actually know anything about each other.
Schwarzenegger of course plays Luke, while his daughter and fellow spy Emma is played by Top Gun: Maverick’s Monica Barbaro. The show’s main cast also includes Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder), Aparna Brielle (A.P. Bio), Andy Buckley (The Office), Milan Carter (Warped!), Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project), Barbara Eve Harris (Prison Break), Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), Fabiana Udenio (Austin Powers) and Travis Van Winkle (Transformers). Scott Thompson (The Kids in The Hall) and Adam Pally (Happy Endings) are listed as recurring stars, while Schwarzenegger’s old True Lies co-star Tom Arnold makes a guest appearance.
True Lies is indeed the one big Schwarzenegger film that seems to have served as inspiration for FUBAR, an interesting development given that a Schwarzenegger-less True Lies TV show is about to hit television as well. It remains to be seen if Schwarzenegger’s leap to the small screen will prove as successful as others executed by his ‘80s action movie peers, but FUBAR does seem to draw upon his action and comedic skills in a way that should please his long-time fans. FUBAR premieres on Netflix on May 25, 2023.
Source: Netflix