Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terribly Amusing Action Thriller Will Stream On Netflix Soon

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in the biblical apocalyptic thriller End of Days, coming to Netflix on June 1st.

By Jessica Goudreault
| Published 7 mins ago

If you love ridiculous Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, then get ready to watch one of his most ridiculous and entertaining movies, because End of Days is coming to Netflix on June 1. The R-rated action horror film from 1999 will join several other Arnold Schwarzenegger movies on Netflix, including classics like Last Action Hero, Conan the Barbarian, and Kindergarten Cop.

End of Days stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jericho Cane, a former NYPD cop turned private security officer in New York City who winds up having to protect a young woman (Christine York AKA Christ in New York) from the Devil. The film takes place on the eve of the millennium as the Devil tries to impregnate Christine, which would free him from hell’s eternal prison. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character spends most of the film protecting Christine from the Devil and his evil henchman, all the while coping with the loss of his own wife and daughter.

The 1999 film stars two actors who are best known for their roles in the 1995 crime drama The Usual Suspects. Gabriel Byrne plays the creepy role of the Devil, while Kevin Pollack plays Arnold Schwarzenegger’s backstabbing friend named Chicago. It’s also worth noting that the famous quote, “The Devil’s greatest trick was convincing the world he didn’t exist,” was used in both The Usual Suspects and End of Days.

Liv Tyler, Jennifer Connelly, and Kate Winslet were all offered the opportunity to play the part of Christine York, but either turned it down or dropped out before production could begin. Director James Cameron encouraged Robin Tunney, who is best known for her role in The Craft, to take part, which she gladly did.

The lead role of Jericho was originally written for Tom Cruise, but the Mission Impossible star opted for the role of Frank in the psychological drama Magnolia instead. Arnold Schwarzenegger was then cast as Jericho for a salary of $25 million.

This was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first acting gig since he played Mr. Freeze in Tim Burton’s Batman & Robin two years prior. The action star had to have heart surgery in 1997, which made Hollywood studios nervous that they wouldn’t be able to insure him. At 52 years old, Arnold Schwarzenegger could still pull off his action scenes and impress insurance executives who were on the set of End of Days.

Directors Sam Raimi (Spider-Man), Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth), and Marcus Nispel (2009’s Friday the 13^th) were all given the chance to direct End of Days but chose to work on other projects instead. Peter Hyams eventually came on board thanks to another helpful suggestion from director James Cameron. Shortly after Peter Hyams directed the R-rated films The Relic, Sudden Death, and Timecop, it seemed like a natural fit.

However, Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted that he didn’t think the director was the right choice for the film. The action star didn’t like the way Peter Hyams chose to light the scenes throughout the movie, feeling that it was much too dark. Editor Steven Kemper (known for his work on Mission: Impossible II, Face/Off, and The Meg) agrees with Arnold Schwarzenegger and has refused to work with Peter Hyams due to his lighting preferences which are hard to edit.

When End of Days was first released in theaters, it grossed $20.5 million during its opening weekend despite being up against Toy Story 2 and The World Is Not Enough. It then went on to earn $212 million after using about $100 million for its budget, meaning it did well but not as well as Universal Studios had hoped.

Arnold Schwarzenegger filmed this movie along with other action hits like The 6^th Day, Collateral Damage, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines before becoming the Governator of California from 2003 to 2007. This caused the action star to take a brief hiatus from filming so that he could focus on trying to manage the state of California.

Now, at 75 years old, Arnold Schwarzenegger is still playing the role of action hero in his new TV show FUBAR. His character is a recently retired C.I.A. operative who teams up with his daughter (a fellow C.I.A. agent) for one last job. The hit show is also streaming on Netflix right now.