When you need someone to play the world's greatest assassin, Arnold Schwarzenegger might not be the first name on the list these days. But it's a funny, fun idea and that's what first-time writer/director Taran Killam went for with his new action comedy Killing Gunther (which has lost part of its original moniker, Why We're Killing Gunther, on its road to the screen). The first trailer has premiered via Entertainment Weekly.
Framed as a mockumentary, the film finds Schwarzenegger as the title character, a man so good at his job that all the other hired hitpeople are annoyed and looking to bump him off to open up the market. Enter Blake (Killam), who gathers a supposedly great group of fellow killers (including characters played by Hannah Simone, Allison Tolman, Steve Bacic and Bobby Moynihan) who are willing to take him on.
Suffice to say, it doesn't go well for them, as Gunther, despite an outsize personality really is just that good. As the old saying (from The Wire) goes, "you come at the king, you best not miss". And this lot appear to miss a lot.
With SNL veteran Killam stepping behind the camera, we're hoping this pushes past the initial joke and into something more, but there are certainly a lot of good people in the cast. The film will be on limited release in the US from 20 October, but has not locked down a UK date yet.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Starring In Action Comedy Why We're Killing Gunther