A Hollywood blockbuster will be filming along Budapest’s M2 metro line this weekend, causing the closure of nearly half the route on both Saturday and Sunday. The measure is expected to affect hundreds of thousands, as the line is among the busiest public transport corridors in Hungary. As previously reported, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in Budapest for some time for the shoot, alongside Liam Hemsworth and Sharon Stone.
Schwarzenegger film to disrupt hundreds of thousands
In a striking announcement, Budapest’s transport authority (BKK) confirmed that from the start of service on Saturday, 20 June, until the end of service on Sunday, 21 June, trains will not run between Örs vezér tere and Deák Ferenc tér. Replacement buses will operate along the affected section, though journey times are certain to increase.
Passengers are advised to consider alternative routes, including buses 7, 7E, 8E, 110, 112 and 133E. BKK has also published a map of the closure.
While not entirely without precedent, the scale of the disruption is highly unusual: one of the country’s busiest transport arteries will be curtailed for a prolonged period, essentially for private filming purposes, over a weekend. According to Endre Bíró, head of the Metróért Association, as cited by Telex, the M2 line carries roughly 100,000 passengers daily. The disruption coincides with a major state and city cultural event, the Night of Museums.
Schwarzenegger a familiar presence in Budapest
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in the Hungarian capital for several weeks and has been spotted at various locations, even sharing updates from sites such as St Stephen’s Basilica. The Terminator star has visited the Flex Gym in Budapest’s 12th district, run by his friend Ádám Szedlacskó, and was most recently photographed in the 8th district near the bakery and café Vaj.
The former Mr Olympia champion and ex-governor of California is no stranger to Budapest. He first visited in 1988 during the filming of Red Heat and has returned regularly since, often privately. He maintains close friendships in the city, including with Szedlacskó, who in 2018 returned to him a long-lost trophy.
A few years ago, he also met Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, even taking him for a workout at the Flex Gym.
Filming at Stadionok station
Schwarzenegger is now in Budapest for the production of The Kellys, with action scenes set to be filmed along the M2 line. According to the production team, such scenes cannot be shot without disrupting operations, necessitating the full closure. Filming will take place at Stadionok station, where Sharon Stone is also expected to appear, Telex reports. There has been no recent update regarding Liam Hemsworth.
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Plot details are scarce. What is known is that Hemsworth plays a police officer whose wife, Molly, is kidnapped by mobsters, forcing him to team up with his chaotic police family, including his father, portrayed by Schwarzenegger.
Amazon MGM Studios has yet to announce a release date.
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