Arnold Schwarzenegger was once supposed to star in the Hans and Franz musical in the 1980s before disaster struck.

How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Kill the ‘Hans and Franz’ Musical?

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.
[https://ew.com/tv/snl-hans-and-franz-kevin-nealon-dana-carvey/]

ALSO READ: Here Is Why Ronnie Coleman Thinks Arnold Schwarzenegger Is the OG
Bodybuilder
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-here-is-why-ronnie-coleman-thinks-arnold-schwarzenegger-is-the-og-bodybuilder/]

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.
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-twitteratis-rejoice-henry-cavill-and-arnold-schwarzeneggers-rumored-casting-in-a-multi-billion-dollar-franchise/]

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]BARCELONA,
SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 21: The actor and former governor of California, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, is seen visiting the workshops and depots of the line 9 and 10
of Barcelona underground during the celebration of Arnold Classic Europe on
September 21, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Zorrakino/Europa Press
via Getty Images)

Henry Cavill [https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/henry-cavill/] is also rumored to
star alongside him in the James Cameron film. 

Do you still want to see him in a musical?

Srabani Biswas

Comment

How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Kill the ‘Hans and Franz’ Musical? - Netflix Junkie

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Srabani Biswas is a writer at Netflix Junkie. She is a sociology graduate from Lady Brabourne College. Previously, she has contributed to Sports India Show and The Sports Room as a sports writer, and interned at Ripples Learning. A daydreamer, a dancer, and a lover of dogs, she enjoys quiet evenings with her laptop and a cozy blanket. With so much to do and so little time, she is constantly worried about her growing pile of unread books and unwatched shows on Netflix. Her favourites include Stranger, Vincenzo, Hello! My twenties,  Emily in Paris, Never Have I Ever, Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things, Reply 1997 and Sex Education.

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How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Kill the ‘Hans and Franz’ Musical? - netflix-junkie

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Arnold Schwarzenegger is synonymous with Terminator. It&#8217;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 &amp; 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.
<div class="flex-video widescreen youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Pumping up With Hans and Franz: Arnold Schwarzenegger - Saturday Night Live" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAalP0jeqV4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
Nealon loved the idea and came on board with Robert Smigel, Conan O&#8217;Brien, and Dana Carvey. The movie was supposedly a musical with titles like Hans and Franz&#8217;: 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&#8217;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&#8217;t receptive. His role was that of a buffed-up grandmother. And the musical was killed <a href="https://ew.com/tv/snl-hans-and-franz-kevin-nealon-dana-carvey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Entertainment Weekly.</a>
ALSO READ: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-here-is-why-ronnie-coleman-thinks-arnold-schwarzenegger-is-the-og-bodybuilder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here Is Why Ronnie Coleman Thinks Arnold Schwarzenegger Is the OG Bodybuilder</a>
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&#8217;s Cool with Schwarzenegger performing in it. Even though the film didn&#8217;t happen, The Terminator star was grateful for the sketch. 
<h2>The sketch opened doors for Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hollywood</h2>
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. <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-twitteratis-rejoice-henry-cavill-and-arnold-schwarzeneggers-rumored-casting-in-a-multi-billion-dollar-franchise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He is rumored to star in 2026 Avatar.</a>
<figure id="attachment_99822" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-99822" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-99822 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1176523701-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-99822" class="wp-caption-text">BARCELONA, SPAIN &#8211; SEPTEMBER 21: The actor and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is seen visiting the workshops and depots of the line 9 and 10 of Barcelona underground during the celebration of Arnold Classic Europe on September 21, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Zorrakino/Europa Press via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/henry-cavill/">Henry Cavill</a> is also rumored to star alongside him in the James Cameron film. 
Do you still want to see him in a musical?

Here Is Why Ronnie Coleman Thinks Arnold Schwarzenegger Is the OG Bodybuilder

September 28, 2022, Oswiecim, Poland: Hollywood actor, bodybuilder and former governor of California (USA) Arnold Schwar

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Srabani Biswas is a writer at Netflix Junkie. She is a sociology graduate from Lady Brabourne College. Previously, she has contributed to Sports India Show and The Sports Room as a sports writer, and interned at Ripples Learning. A daydreamer, a dancer, and a lover of dogs, she enjoys quiet evenings with her laptop and a cozy blanket. With so much to do and so little time, she is constantly worried about her growing pile of unread books and unwatched shows on Netflix. Her favourites include Stranger, Vincenzo, Hello! My twenties, Emily in Paris, Never Have I Ever, Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things, Reply 1997 and Sex Education.

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How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Kill the ‘Hans and Franz’ Musical?

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