Schwarzenegger said he'd be back

As Arnold Schwarzenegger plots his return to Hollywood, in some ways he will resemble the young Austrian who went to California many years ago: single and detached from politics.

Now 63, he is older and, while fit, not quite as buff as he was in his "Conan the Barbarian" days. Yet Schwarzenegger's impending new chapter recalls the first time the former bodybuilder attempted -- and wildly succeeded at -- a quixotic transition to Hollywood.

Schwarzenegger finished his seven-year run as California's governor in January. Last week, he and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, announced that they are separating.

Unless there are tawdry details to come, the separation won't have any effect on Schwarzenegger's rebooted career. This is Hollywood, after all, not politics, where winning elections usually means having a supportive companion at the podium.

Simultaneously splitting from his wife and politics only reinforces that this is a new, late phase for Schwarzenegger. He and Shriver called it "a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us."

Already reorienting from Sacramento to Hollywood, Schwarzenegger has found that showbiz is happy to have him back.

He's making an animated TV show, "The Governator," with famous comic-book creator Stan Lee. He plans to star as a horse trainer in the drama "Cry Macho" for producer Albert Ruddy ("Million Dollar Baby"). He's also reportedly interested in starring in Kim Ji-woon's planned "The Last Stand."

His films grossed $1.6 billion in U.S.

Many are surely awaiting his return to movies. He remains one of the most popular action film stars ever, a position younger stars have failed to usurp. His movies have grossed more than $1.6 billion domestically.

The last time he starred in a film was 2003's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," which most viewed as a lesser installment in the series. A month after it was released, he announced on "The Tonight Show" that he would run in the 2003 California recall election for governor.

"Being off-screen for so long, I think people are anxious to see what he'll do next on the big screen," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "He was one of the biggest movie stars in the world. There's no way that he can come back quietly."

The animated "Governator" is likely to be his first project that viewers see. In it, he voices a superhero character based on Schwarzenegger's life. In a sneak-peek teaser, the animated governor inverts his famous line on the State Capitol steps, saying: "I won't be back."

The actor had told Entertainment Weekly that even Shriver would voice a character. (The project also includes a comic book, a video game and eventually a movie.)

"At the last minute, toward the end, we decided that we wouldn't be using his wife in the story, anyway," Lee said. "So [their breakup] really won't affect anything at all, except we can probably have a lot of girls having crushes on our hero as the story goes on -- which we probably would have done anyway."

Still, the greater intrigue will probably follow Schwarzenegger on the big screen. Shooting of "Cry Macho" is to begin in September, with Brad Furman ("The Lincoln Lawyer") to direct the script based on the 1975 novel by N. Richard Nash.

Age isn't holding back older action stars

Recent box-office history suggests that the market is good for aging action stars. "Red," starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren, earned more than $90 million domestically last year. Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables" did better, taking in $103 million domestically and $171 million internationally.

"He was in a category all of his own," Lee said. "Nobody really has come along to fill the spot he was in. Even though he's a few years older now, he's still in great shape, he still looks terrific. ... I think he's going to make quite an impact now. It's something he wants to do. He obviously loves acting. I think he'll do really well and I think the public will be eager to see him again."

The actor's most successful films were often sci-fi tales, including "Predator," "The Running Man," "Total Recall" and the "Terminator" movies. There were also comedies ("Twins," "Kindergarten Cop"), disappointments ("Last Action Hero") and missteps (Mr. Freeze in "Batman & Robin").

Stallone is working on a sequel to "The Expendables," although Schwarzenegger is not yet attached. In 2009, "Terminator Salvation" continued the series without Schwarzenegger, casting Sam Worthington in the futuristic cyborg role. Hollywood trade papers have reported that Schwarzenegger's agents are shopping a sequel to the franchise, with Schwarzenegger returning to arguably his most famous character.

"The older action stars are still very, very bankable," Dergarabedian said. "As long as Arnold Schwarzenegger wants one, he can once again have a terrific movie career."