Cinema Blend has been following Last Stand for a while now, and for good reason: it will be the first film project for Arnold Schwarzenegger after leaving office as the governor of California. The action flick from Korean director Kim Jee-Woon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) has gained a cast including Peter Stormare and Thor's Jaimie Alexander. Today Lionsgate announced that Last Stand has begun filming in New Mexico and Nevada, featuring two noteworthy new cast additions: Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker and frequent Jackass Johnny Knoxville.

Last Stand stars Schwarzenegger as Sheriff Owens, a former LAPD cop turned small-town sheriff in the border-town community of Sommerton Junction. Still carrying the guilt of an operation gone wrong that left his former partner crippled, Owens finds himself forced once again into a high-stakes situation after a drug kingpin stages a daring escape from an FBI prisoner convoy and makes a run for the border along a route that will take him and his cohorts straight through Owens' town.

Last Stand originated as a spec script by screenwriter Andrew Knauer, his only credited script so far. Unsurprisingly for a first produced script, Last Stand was later rewritten by another writer, in this case Jeffrey Nachmanoff (The Tourist).

While the press release notes the inclusion of Whitaker and Knoxville, it doesn't provide any hints as to who they'll be playing. We'll keep you posted on further details as we get closer to Last Stand's January 18th, 2013 release date. You can check out the text of the press release below.

THE LAST STAND COMMENCES PRODUCTION

Impressive Cast Joins Arnold Schwarzenegger In High Octane Chase Story

Santa Monica, CA, October 17, 2011-- LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, is pleased to announce the start of production on Kim Jee-Woon’s THE LAST STAND, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The announcement was made by the President of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group Joe Drake, and President of Production Michael Paseornek. The shoot, which begins on October 17, 2011, will take place across locations in New Mexico and Nevada.

Rounding out the cast are Zach Gilford (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS), Forest Whitaker (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND), Luis Guzman (CARLITO’S WAY, BOOGIE NIGHTS), Rodrigo Santoro (CHE, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS), Johnny Knoxville (The JACKASS films), Jaimie Alexander (THOR), Eduardo Noriega (OPEN YOUR EYES), Peter Stormare (FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) and Harry Dean Stanton (AILIEN, THE GREEN MILE).

Korean action-suspense master Kim Jee-Woon (A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD) is directing the film, which is based on a spec script by Andrew Knauer that was subsequently rewritten by Jeffrey Nachmanoff. Lionsgate has domestic and international distribution rights, with the film having pre-sold well in several overseas territories prior to its production. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing the film through his di Bonaventura Pictures.

Schwarzenegger stars as Sheriff Owens, a man who has resigned himself to a life of fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction after leaving his LAPD post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with failure and defeat after his partner was crippled. After a spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy, the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the hemisphere is hurtling toward the border at 200 mph in a specially outfitted car with a hostage and a fierce army of gang members. He is headed, it turns out, straight for Summerton Junction, where the whole of the U.S. law enforcement will have their last opportunity to make a stand and intercept him before he slips across the border forever. At first reluctant to become involved, and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately accepts responsibility for one of the most daring face offs in cinema history.

Schwarzenegger, Knoxville and Jee-Woon are represented by CAA. Santoro and Stormare are represented by ICM, with Guzman represented by the Gersh Agency, and Whitaker and Gilford represented by WME. Stanton is represented by Bresler-Kelly and Associates. The cast deals were negotiated on behalf of Lionsgate by Robert Melnik, Executive Vice President of Business Affairs.