Turning one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movies into a TV show is a tall order, but let’s not overlook the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis was just as important to the success of True Lies as the action icon.
James Cameron’s wildly entertaining and tongue-in-cheek espionage blockbuster may have seen Schwarzenegger deliver one of his best-ever performances, but it was Curtis who ended up winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, which was fully deserved.
The legendary scream queen’s turn as Helen Tasker saw her expertly move from meek housewife to fish out of water, before evolving into a femme fatale and ultimately an ass-kicking force of nature. Following on from the recent casting of Shameless veteran Steve Howey as the male lead, Variety reveals that Ginger Gonzaga has been set as his opposite number.
Gonzaga is something of an unknown quantity at this stage, but she does have a major supporting role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Disney Plus series She-Hulk, and that coupled with True Lies should increase her profile dramatically. Burn Notice creator Matt Nix is scripting the pilot with Anthony Hemingway directing, while James Cameron and McG remain involved as executive producers.
True Lies is one of the best action epics of the 1990s, with both Schwarzenegger and Curtis on top form as the Taskers, so there’s a lot of pressure on the pilot to deliver a worthy enough retread that can convince CBS to order an entire season.