Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Blood

MORGAN WEISTLING (American 20th Century)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Blood, special commission, circa 1994

Oil on canvas



This piece was commissioned by Arnold Schwarzenegger for a film script he was considering.
The film super-star wanted to know what he would look like as a pirate. Once he saw it,
he killed the idea of doing the movie. "Everybody can thank me," he told the artist.
Despite the Governor's misgivings, this is a striking image.

A bigger version of the painting, here:
https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/img252/5213/r4jg1.jpg

Pirate Ah-nuld never seemed like a good idea to me. If he were to ever pull of CONAN again, he'll need to be very dark & brooding. His corniness ruined alotve movies. His personality and demeanor in Red Sonja wasnt to bad, actually an improvement over CTD.

I do very much agree, he showed a much more mature and credible character in RedSonja
than in The Destroyer... I dunno If it was cuz of the script, maybe "The Destroyer" character
was so bad written the poor bastard couldn't do better... I can imagine that Arnold, not having
a too strong acting skill, and founding himself playing a so stupid character -that supposedly
had to be taken seriously- would feel very confused.

Thee face says it all. LOL:



(How could a sane director would take a shoot like this... A close up! He wanted to make
a comedy, or just wanted to laugh about Arnold, or he was just pissing in his own movie in
some kind of artistic suicide...)

It's possible that Kalidor made him feel more relaxed, not being the main role and also being
so simple. No doubt, Kalidor seems intelligent and even sensitive, compared with the
deformed retard that "The Destroyer" was. Also, the clothes looks good, meanwhile that idiot
"uniform" of the Fleisher movie, totally useless, belongs to a clown.

Indeed, another thing I really liked about Kalidor was his absolute confidence and mirth and he looked the part. Arnold also seemed more serious in Sonja, maybe he was looking forward to ending his contract or something I dont know. He really totally lacked those type of traits in CTD. Best part of CTD was the end, when he took on Bombaata and Dagoth, that was real Arnold CONAN there. For one clear example of aweful Conan in CTD, was he was standing there, looking around like a complete moron for Jehnna in the Cyrstal palace-- just standing there like a big tool while Bombaata finds her.

When Arnold laughs at the green retards after dropping the shields on top of those guards in Brytag's dump--that was CONAN as he just maniacally takes out every guard with utter dark laughter and fury..thats the best.

His build was alot better than in CTD as well..

Did you know something about that pirate movie project?

Yeah, that project was originally developped by Jonathan Hensleigh for John McTiernan at Warner Bros (Ed Pressman was to be the producer), then Chuck Russell later took over with Frank Darabont working on a new draft. I think McTiernan wanted to cast Alec Baldwin (or Kevin Kline) in the main role, then maybe he briefly considered doing it with Arnold. Brad Pitt was also approached at some point, I believe by Chuck Russell... And according to that guy (link), "Rob Cohen even briefly considered it before deciding on the now-cancelled Sinbad thing with Keanu Reeves."

Here is a script review of the Darabont/Russell draft:
http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=99

See also:
http://www.thearnoldfans.com/news/archives/2006/july/1032.htm

Instead of Captain Blood, Russell and Arnold did... Eraser.

Quote :

The New York Times
Hollywood's Newest Boys of Summer
By BERNARD WEINRAUB
Published: May 12, 1996

(...) Following "The Mask," [Chuck] Russell was offered numerous comedy and fantasy projects but yearned to make a big-budget action drama based on Rafael Sabatini's swashbuckling novel "Captain Blood." His collaborator was a close friend, Frank Darabont, who later wrote and directed "The Shawshank Redemption." They worked on the project with Mr. Schwarzenegger, but it fell apart when studios decided that too many sword-and-pirate movies were under way. "Arnold said, 'Let's look for something more contemporary,' " recalled Mr. Russell. "And then we came across this script by Tony Puryear." Mr. Puryear, a former advertising and music-video director, had written a script about a Federal marshal who unmasks a conspiracy. (...)

Arnold as an Errol Flyn type? baha, thank god he never took the role.

Well the book was way better than that old 1930's version and could use an update-- I wouldve liked to see Tim Dalton in the role, he has that quality, but I doubt any actors these days can play the part.