Will he or won't he? Schwarzenegger delays showing political hand.

(From Agence France Presse)

Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger was again at the centre of a great mystery worthy of a movie plot: will he or won't he run for governor of California.

The 56-year-old tough man who starred in the blockbuster "Terminator" was keeping the people of the most populous US state in suspense over whether he would announce his candidacy for the troubled state's top job.

The cliff-hanger took a fresh turn Thursday, just a day after senior aides to the actor and would-be Republican politician said he had all but decided not to run and was informing supporters of his decision.

But by Thursday, the weeks-old suspense serial was in full swing again, with the expected announcement delayed and with aides now saying he was firmly undecided about whether to run in elections scheduled for October 7.

"It seems he may be having last minute doubts about his decision not to run, despite his family's apparent preference that he shouldn't," a source close to the actor, who requested anonymity, said.

Officially though, the Austrian-born former muscle man's political advisers and campaign staff said he was still weighing his options regarding the so-called recall vote aimed at unseating Democratic Governor Gray Davis.