Arnold Schwarzenegger is synonymous with Terminator. It’s impossible to imagine him as anything other than a tough guy. But it may come as a surprise to you that he was ready to flex his muscles in a musical. The star has given his fans many blockbusters over the years, most of which are action films. While he tried to brand himself and did comedy roles as well, the star was never part of a musical. Had things worked in his favor, we would have probably gotten a fun musical out of the Austrian strongman in the 80s.

In the 80s, Saturday Night Live hosted a recurring sketch Pumping Up with Hans & Franz. The sketch featured two wannabe bodybuilding icons that were inspired directly by the Austrian. Arnold Schwarzenegger loved the show and pitched the idea of a movie to creator Kevin Nealon.

Nealon loved the idea and came on board with Robert Smigel, Conan O’Brien, and Dana Carvey. The movie was supposedly a musical with titles like Hans and Franz’: The Girlyman Dilemma and Hans and Frans Go to Hollywood. They had the script and gags ready; however, the musical never came to fruition due to Arnold’s fear of failure.

In The Last Action Hero, the 77-year-old had taken a stab at playing a lighter role. He had parodied himself, hoping to surprise the audience and bring in box office numbers. Unfortunately, the movie tanked. He thought it was too risky to parody himself again in the musical considering the public wasn’t receptive. His role was that of a buffed-up grandmother. And the musical was killed according to Entertainment Weekly.

In the musical, the two wannabe bodybuilders were supposed to belong to the fictional Little Austria of NYC. It was to have a parody of West Side Story’s Cool with Schwarzenegger performing in it. Even though the film didn’t happen, The Terminator star was grateful for the sketch. 

The sketch opened doors for Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hollywood

The chances for the ex-governor to become a leading man in Hollywood were slim. Studios were not a fan of his thick accent. However, after the sketch, his accent became his biggest asset and not a liability. And he is still going strong in his career. He is rumored to star in 2026 Avatar.

Henry Cavill is also rumored to star alongside him in the James Cameron film. 

Do you still want to see him in a musical?