On June 1, 2015, it was reported that "The Garden" and "Half Past Dead" director Don Michael Paul will be directing the movie, and Arnold Schwarzenegger will not return as Detective John Kimble. Schwarzenegger announced that his character Detective John Kimble is now officially retired from being a kindergarten teacher and police officer. Schwarzenegger was replaced by Dolph Lundgren as a new character FBI Agent Zack Reed, and Paul hired Matthew Lillard who previously played as Detective David Harris in the original 1990 movie. Lillard agreed to return. 