Cannes: Arnold Schwarzenegger Joins Comedy ‘Why We’re Killing Gunther’

Arnold Schwarzenegger is joining the comedy “Why We’re Killing Gunther” with Taran Killam directing from his own script.

Killam will also star with Bobby Moynihan and Cobie Smulders. MadRiver Pictures will begin international sales next week in Cannes with UTA repping North American rights.

Principal photography is slated for June. Paul Brittain, Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”), Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”) and Ryan Gaul will also star.

Producers are Kim Leadford, Killam, Ash Sarohia and Steve Squillante. StarStream Media will finance.

Schwarzenegger will portray the titular Gunther, the world’s greatest hitman who’s also arrogant, a show-off and steals jobs. The assassin community is tired of him and a group of eccentric killers from across the globe come together to set the perfect trap, but their master plan quickly turns into a series of embarrassing fails as Gunther always appears one step ahead.

Killam has been on “Saturday Night Live” since 2010 and married Smulders in 2012. He worked with Moynihan on “Grown Ups 2” and with Smulders on “How I Met Your Mother.”

Schwarzenegger can next be seen in “The Legend of Conan” for Universal.

Schwarzenegger is represented by CAA and attorney Patrick Knapp. Killam, Moynihan, Nanjiani, Park and Smulders are represented by UTA. Gaul is represented by the Gersh Agency, and Brittain is represented by APA.

MadRiver Pictures is a film finance, production and international sales company. It expanded operations in February by launching an international sales arm under Kim Fox.

The news was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.

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