Arnold is teaming up with Tom Cruise’s preferred director for a new Conan film.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced his return to one of his iconic roles, teaming up with a top-tier director. The action legend revealed that Conan the Barbarian will make a comeback in King Conan, which is being written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, known for his work on the last four Mission: Impossible films. This project is currently in development at Disney’s 20th Century Studios.

“They just hired a fantastic writer/director who did Tom Cruise’s last four movies,” Schwarzenegger shared. “They just hired him to write and direct King Conan.” He described the film as “a great old story about Conan being 40 years as King, only to be forced out of his kingdom, leading to conflict. But somehow, he returns, bringing along madness, violence, magic, and all sorts of creatures.”

King Conan, named after a collection of short stories by Conan’s creator Robert E. Howard, was rumored to be in the works in the late 1990s but was shelved when Schwarzenegger became governor of California. There was another attempt to revive the character in a film titled Legend of Conan in the 2010s, but that project also fell through.

At 78 years old, Schwarzenegger is no longer the 35-year-old powerhouse from the original 1982 Conan the Barbarian, directed by John Milius. Addressing his age, he noted, “Now, what they do is write the part to be age-appropriate. I’ll still go in there and kick some ass, but it will be different.”

While King Conan marks a long-awaited return for Schwarzenegger, it also signifies a shift for McQuarrie, who has spent over a decade closely collaborating with Tom Cruise. The Usual Suspects writer first teamed up with Cruise on the 2008 thriller Valkyrie and has since directed, written, or produced ten films featuring him, including the Jack Reacher series, Edge of Tomorrow, and Top Gun: Maverick. His first two Mission: Impossible films, Rogue Nation and Fallout, are regarded as the pinnacle of the franchise.

Schwarzenegger hinted that he may not be done with classic roles just yet, as he mentioned that current Predator franchise director Dan Trachtenberg has plans for him to return to the sci-fi action series he helped launch. Additionally, 20th Century Studios is reportedly developing a script for a sequel to the 1985 action classic Commando.