LOS ANGELES — Actor and former California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger is reprising one of his most famous movie roles — Conan the Barbarian — for an upcoming sequel, Universal Pictures said on Friday.

Schwarzenegger, 65, will play the sword-swinging hero in “The Legend of Conan,” 30 years after the film that launched the Austrian bodybuilder as a Hollywood star.

“I always loved the Conan character, and I’m honored to be asked to step into the role once again,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

The original films, 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” and 1984’s “Conan The Destroyer,” together grossed more than $70 million at U.S. box office.

The “Conan” franchise was remade in 2011 with “Game of Thrones” star Jason Momoa, but the film — also called “Conan the Barbarian” — failed to repeat the success of its predecessors, earning only $21 million at the North American box office, according to film tracking site BoxOfficeMojo.com.

The new “Conan” film is the latest Hollywood venture by Schwarzenegger since the action movie hero ended his term as Californiea’s governor in January 2011.

He starred alongside Hollywood’s veteran action heroes in this summer’s “The Expendables 2,” and is lined up to star in five other films, including thriller “Ten” and “Triplets,” a sequel to his hit 1988 comedy “Twins” alongside co-star Danny DeVito.