If you are in fitness and bodybuilding or are familiar with Arnold Schwarzenegger, you must have heard about Pumping Iron.

The cult documentary was released in 1977, with Schwarzenegger sharing the screen with Lou Ferrigno.

The documentary popularized professional bodybuilding, following athletes like Ferrigno and Schwarzenegger as they trained for the 1975 Mr. Olympia. Now, in 2027, the release of Pumping Iron will mark its 50th anniversary. And in the meantime, Arnold's Sports Festival has shared an old moment in which Schwarzenegger reunited with Lou Ferrigno and other cast members of the documentary.

On July 24, the Arnold Sports Festival shared the moment and captioned it, “Arnold Schwarzenegger reunites with the cast of Pumping Iron for the film’s 25th Anniversary, backstage at the 2002 Arnold Classic 💪.”

In the clip, the seven-time Mr. Olympia was seen cheering the moment. And he was also remembering the time when they were filming.

In the clip, apart from Arnold and Ferrigno, other cast members such as Mike Katz, Mike Katz Jr., Franco Columbu, Bill Grant, and Ed Corney were also available.

The documentary helped the Austrian Oak gain recognition beyond bodybuilding. It also revealed his star quality and screen presence, paving the way for iconic movies like Conan the Barbarian, released in 1982, and The Terminator, released in 1984.

So, celebrating the 5 decades since the making of the documentary, Arnold Sports Festival added, “Join us as we celebrate 50 Years of PUMPING IRON. At the 2027 Arnold Sports Festival and Arnold Sports Festival UK!”

For reference, the Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio will be held between March 4–7, 2027. The Arnold Sports Festival UK will be held March 19–21, 2027.

While the whole cast will be joining to celebrate the 50 years of Pumping Iron, one name, the creator of the legendary book and documentary, will be missing from the event.

Charles Gaines will be missing from the Arnold Sports Festival 2027 reunion of Pumping Iron

The heading is enough to tell the sad story. Gaines, the author of the book and documentary Pumping Iron, has died at the age of 84.

According to his daughter, Greta Gaines, the author died on July 21. She did not reveal the cause of death.

On July 21, Schwarzenegger also gave a tribute to his friend Gaines through an Instagram post. In the post, he wrote, “There was no adventure too big for Charles Gaines. He climbed mountains, trekked across ice, fished. And hunted on almost every continent, writing about every adventure in a way that captured people’s hearts and minds”.

He added, “I’m lucky that he was always looking for new frontiers. Because that’s how he found me and our niche sport of bodybuilding. That’s how the book and the movie Pumping Iron launched me into the mainstream.... It’s how I broke into Hollywood with my first big role in Stay Hungry - a movie Charles also wrote.”

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil