Lionsgate has confirmed that Kim Jee-Woon will make his English-language debut and the embattled former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will take the lead in the action tale about a sheriff in a sleepy border town who faces off a notorious fugitive.

Lionsgate holds worldwide rights and is understood to have closed a number of international pre-sales.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce through di Bonaventura Pictures. The project is based on a spec script by Andrew Knauer that was rewritten by Jeffrey Nachmanoff.

“Arnold Schwarzenegger will bring incredible magnetism to this complex but classic role,” Lionsgate’s president of the motion picture group Joe Drake said.

“When he came on the screen in The Expendables, it always electrified the audience. In this film, the Sheriff Owens character grapples with some really tough stuff, but ultimately triumphs, and we knew he’d truly elevate this high octane ride.” 

Jee-Woon’s credits include South Korean releases I Saw The Devil, A Tale Of Two Sisters and The Good, The Bad, The Weird.

Lionsgate motion picture group senior evp Rob McEntegart brokered the deal with CAA on behalf of Schwarzenegger with attorneys Jake Bloom and Patrick Knapp of Bloom Hergott et al. CAA also represents Jee-Woon.