Arnold Schwarzenegger is a fan of Conan O’Brien’s work. In an appearance on the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” Schwarzenegger encouraged O’Brien to star in a scrapped movie about two bodybuilder brothers that was first featured on Saturday Night Live.

©GettyImages

O’Brien read lines from the unproduced screenplay in a previous episode of his podcast. "It was so funny. There's no comedy movie, to be honest with you, that I have laughed that much [at] than just listening to you," said Schwarzenegger. O’Brien revealed that he wrote the movie with Schwarzenegger in mind, calling it “the most ridiculous movie in the world and it’s a musical.”

Schwarzenegger then relayed a scene that he found particularly funny, where the two brothers are navigating a bathroom. "It was fantastic. It was so well written and I hope they do it. I really hope they do it. You still can do it,” he said.

Hans and Franz’ SNL run

The sketches were known as “Pumping up with Hans and Franz,” two brothers who were supposed cousins of Schwarzenegger, and made multiple appearances on SNL. The skit debuted in season 13 of the show, and were performed by comedians Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon. In 1988 and 1991, Schwarzenegger was featured in the sketches, and loved them so much that he wanted to produce and star in a film adaptation that never ended up happening.

O’Brien was one of the writers of SNL and was involved in the script. He revealed that he wanted to write a cameo for Schwarzenegger but that once he revised it, he realized he’d added Schwarzenegger in way more than the other characters, including the film’s protagonists.