First Season “True Lies”
The next cult film should inspire as a series
In 1994, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis saved the world and house blessings together.
© imago/Cinema Publishers Collection
The series adaptation of “True Lies” will run on Disney+ from April 19. Without Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis – but with new ideas?
When star director James Cameron (68) ventured into the agent genre with “True Lies” in 1994, he did so with a mixture of brutal action and memorable one-liners by his main actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (75). From April 19th, the series adaptation will start on the Disney + streaming service and raises the question: Does this recipe work almost 30 years later in the series format – and without Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis (64)?
The plot and the characters have remained the same. Once again, the apparently boring family man Harry Tasker leads a risky double life as a top spy, unbeknownst to his wife Helen. On the contrary, she wishes for a little more action in her deadlocked marriage – until she learns the truth about her husband’s real job and finds herself in the international fight against terrorism.
Instead of Schwarzenegger and Curtis, “Shameless” star Steve Howey (45) and “She-Hulk” actress Ginger Gonzaga (39) now play the agent couple. The idea for the twelve-episode first season came from screenwriter and director Matt Nix (51). Of course, the idea of making a series out of cult films from the 80s and 90s is not really innovative.
From cult film to cult series? Not a sure-fire success!
“12 Monkeys”, “Fargo”, “Addams Family” and “Terminator” have been transferred to series production with varying success. In this respect, however, the “Lethal Weapon” series, which became a series around eight years ago, should have the biggest overlaps with “True Lies”. Instead of Curtis and Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson (67) and Danny Glover (76) bickered in the film franchise like an old married couple (too shit) while they put down bad guys together. In the TV adaptation, Clayne Crawford (44) finally did it as Martin Riggs and Damon Wayans (62) as Roger Murtaugh. But after only three seasons it was over, Crawford, who was negatively noticed on the set, was also replaced by Seann William “Stiffler” Scott (46) from season two.
Whether “True Lies” will even last three seasons can at least be doubted in view of the first reactions. The series has been running in the USA since the beginning of March this year. However, the audience voices seem to confirm the fear that the series is not able to reproduce the over-the-top charm of the template. And the chemistry of the main actors doesn’t even come close to that of Curtis/Schwarzenegger. Anyone with a Disney+ subscription can make up their own minds starting April 19.