Seven years after Terminator: Dark Fate, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in a classic action feature now in production with Geena Davis, directed by Brad Peyton. The thriller centers on a disgraced New York City cop whose wife is taken hostage by terrorists, with Liam Hemsworth, Kelsey Asbille and Abby Elliott also aboard. It marks Davis’s first action role since 1996’s The Long Kiss Goodnight.
A botched past, a hostage wife, and New York ticking like a time bomb set the stage for The Kellys, the new thriller from Brad Peyton. It marks Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to straight-up action after seven years, paired with 90s icon Geena Davis in her first genre run since The Long Kiss Goodnight. Alongside them, Liam Hemsworth, Kelsey Asbille and Abby Elliott round out a cast already on set since June 2026. The comeback lands as Davis speaks openly about age barriers in Hollywood and as Schwarzenegger readies a holiday brawler, The Man With The Bag, due in December.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to action films
Some comebacks feel overdue because the pieces click at once. This is the case for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is stepping back into a full-throttle action lead and doing so opposite a 1990s powerhouse: Geena Davis. Their pairing anchors the upcoming thriller The Kellys, now moving through production, with a premise that leans into urgency, family fault lines, and the kind of stakes that built Schwarzenegger’s legend.
What we know about ‘The Kellys’
Directed by Brad Peyton, The Kellys follows Jack Kelly, a disgraced New York City cop racing to save his wife after she is taken hostage by terrorists. The twist lies in the rescue: he must rally his own family, even if they bring as many problems as solutions. The ensemble includes Liam Hemsworth, Kelsey Asbille, Geena Davis, and Abby Elliott, balancing veteran clout and fresher energy.
Production kicked off in June 2026, which signals a brisk timeline toward release. Plot specifics remain carefully guarded, and character details for Schwarzenegger and Davis are under wraps. Even so, the setup suggests a grounded, urban pressure cooker, the kind of canvas where timing, tactics, and frayed loyalties collide.
Geena Davis’s return to action
For Davis, The Kellys marks her first action role in roughly 30 years, echoing the cool ferocity she brought to The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996). She’s an Oscar winner for The Accidental Tourist, and her voice on age equity in Hollywood has only grown sharper. Recently, she drew attention on Netflix’s The Boroughs, a reminder that presence and precision can outlast any trend.
Her return to the genre lands with symbolic weight. Audiences who grew up on her 1990s turns now get to watch her reframe the archetype alongside Schwarzenegger. The curiosity factor is real, but so is the possibility of a character with miles on the odometer and a few new gears to shift.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s next big moves
Schwarzenegger’s last theatrical outing was Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), a checkpoint rather than a curtain call. Now The Kellys sits alongside the holiday action caper The Man With The Bag, slated for December 2026. The blend is telling. He’s chasing momentum across tones and seasons, toggling between bruising urgency and twinkling mayhem.
If The Kellys lands as intended, it could underline a simple idea: experience is an action asset. Pair that with Davis’s overdue return, and the film’s promise extends beyond pyrotechnics to something sturdier, earned, and frankly welcome.