The brilliant idea for Schwarzenegger's post-politics rebirth will combine elements of his actual real life with comic book fantasy, envisioning him as an animated version of himself. In this bizarro alternate cartoon world, Schwarzenegger leaves the office of governor of California to become a super-suited crime fighter who battles -- wait for it -- an evil syndicate nicknamed G.I.R.L.I.E. Men. Also: Arnold will have a 13-year-old computer whiz sidekick (those Twitter updates aren't gonna post themselves) and will be able to fly. Because of course.
"We're using his wife [Maria Shriver]," Lee told EW. "We're using his kids. We're using the fact that he used to be governor. Only after he leaves the governor's office, Arnold decides to become a crime fighter and builds a secret high-tech crime-fighting center under his house in Brentwood."
This kind of blending of real and fantasy life has been attempted before, perhaps most memorably by action star Jackie Chan, who voiced a fictional version of himself on Jackie Chan Adventures for five seasons. The New Kids on the Block also partially participated in their own cartoon show for a hot second in the early '90s. But neither Chan nor NKOTB took the self-referential celebrity worship quite as far as Schwarzenegger promises to with this Governator character, set to debut next year. Coincidentally, 2012 is the prophesied end of the world, so maybe this is the next sign of the impending apocalypse.
ยท Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as 'The Governator' [EW PopWatch]