Arnold Schwarzenegger has officially joined the cast of the upcoming feature film adaptation of the 2015 cult short film Kung Fury. David Hasselhoff and Michael Fassbender have already accepted roles in the action-comedy.
With Schwarzenegger already famous for his 80’s action-hero roles, many have regarded his joining the cast of Kung Fury as a perfect fit. The star of cult classic films like Total Recall, Predator and Terminator is said to have taken the role of the American president in David Sandberg’s new film which is set to begin shooting in Europe and the United States this summer.
Kung Fury was a cult hit upon its release in 2015. Combining elements of 80’s futurism, martial arts, police drama and internet culture, the film was an instant success gaining over 40 million views around the world.
Sandberg, a Swedish filmmaker and creator of the original short film will play the lead role while being supported by Michael Fassbender. Sandberg’s character is simply known as “the greatest damn cop of all time”.
Seth Grahame-Smith, Aaron Schmidt and David Katzenberg will produce the film for KatzSmith Productions which was hugely successful in its recent remake of Stephen King’s It. B-Reel film’s Philip Westgren will also produce alongside Conor McCaughen.
The original film involved the main character, a police detective who uses Kung Fu, travelling between different stylised worlds meeting interesting characters and battling a larger threat.
The movie is set in Miami in 1985, a city which is protected by the titular Kung Fury and his team of Thundercops. The Thundercops are an elite police force assembled from different times and places in history in order to challenge their arch nemesis, King Fuhrer (Adolf Hitler).
The seemingly ridiculous and over-the-top nature of the setting has drawn a wide audience around the world. The original film, having impressive visuals for its small budget, is speculated to be even more of a visual spectacle with a large production team behind it this time around.
The film is set to be introduced to Berlin’s European Film Market for backing. Rumours are that many potential buyers are already eager to put their money behind the film.