Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose marriage recently ended over an extramarital affair, has signed on for a role in a western, EW.com said.

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The 63-year-old former Republican California governor is to play a small-town border sheriff battling a Mexican drug cartel in "The Last Stand," which is to begin shooting in September, the entertainment news Web site said.

The film, which is set for a 2012 release, will mark the English-language debut of Korean director Jee-woon Kim, EW.com reported.

The Austria-born Schwarzenegger is a former body builder best known for his work in the string of "Terminator" movies, as well as in "Total Recall," "True Lies" and "Twins."

His wife Maria Shriver recently filed for divorce from him after she discovered he fathered a child during their marriage more than a decade ago with a domestic servant. He and Shriver have four children together.