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Hungarian Edition
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in Budapest — and for Hungary’s production sector, that is never just a celebrity sighting. According to local chatter and eagle-eyed airport passengers, the former Governor, global action brand, and still-active screen heavyweight is believed to have arrived in the Hungarian capital, where Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming film The Kelly’s is said to have begun production in May 2026.
The project, reportedly starring Schwarzenegger and Liam Hemsworth, is still wrapped in the kind of secrecy that studios like to maintain around streamer-driven action IP. But the Budapest connection is already enough to put the film on the radar of international production watchers. Hungary has become one of Europe’s most reliable production bases for Hollywood-scale features and series, and Schwarzenegger’s presence in town adds a familiar dose of star power to the city’s increasingly crowded global screen résumé.
For Schwarzenegger, Budapest is not unfamiliar ground. He previously spent time in Hungary during the Terminator 6 (Dark Fate) production in 2018, and has made several return visits since, including a 2024 trip where he was spotted dining in the city and meeting with Hungarian officials. When he works here, he tends not to disappear into the hotel-to-set bubble. Budapest residents have seen him cycling through the city, including along Andrássy Avenue, training at local gyms such as Flex Gym, and turning up in restaurants and cafés. His friendship with Flex Gym owner Ádám Szedlacskó has also helped make his Budapest visits feel less like a studio drop-in and more like a recurring chapter in the actor’s relationship with the city.
That visibility matters. In Los Angeles terms, Schwarzenegger arriving in Budapest is the kind of production signal that cuts through the noise. A major star is on the ground, a major studio is understood to be mounting a film locally, and the Hungarian capital is again functioning as a practical and cinematic base for a global-facing action title.
The Kelly’s is described as an Amazon MGM Studios production intended for Prime Video. Based on the details currently circulating, the film is an action project with comedic elements — less straight-faced tactical thriller, more action-comedy-of-manners built around a volatile family dynamic. The story reportedly follows Jack Kelly, a young police officer whose life is upended when he is pulled into a sophisticated terrorist conspiracy. As the danger escalates, Jack must protect himself, save his wife, and preserve his professional reputation while the situation spirals beyond the control of the authorities.
The key twist appears to be the Kelly family itself: a chaotic clan of veteran cops, described in the source material as figures with “crazy and uncompromising instincts” who refuse to play by the rules. That setup suggests a film built around the friction between official procedure and old-school, bruising, rule-breaking law enforcement energy — exactly the kind of territory where Schwarzenegger’s persona can still do heavy lifting.
What remains unclear is who plays whom. The available information does not officially identify the actors’ specific roles. The obvious assumption is that Hemsworth could be playing Jack, the young officer at the center of the plot, while Schwarzenegger may be positioned as a senior Kelly figure, possibly a father or patriarchal force within the family. But that remains unconfirmed, and any responsible reporting has to treat it as speculation.
The pairing itself is commercially interesting. Schwarzenegger and Hemsworth previously appeared together in The Expendables 2, where Schwarzenegger returned as Trench and Hemsworth played Billy the Kid, a younger former sniper folded into a team of veteran action warriors. If The Kelly’s indeed leans into a young cop surrounded by a wild family of hardened law-enforcement veterans, the project could echo that same generational action dynamic — the younger lead navigating a world dominated by old-school heavy hitters.
That is also where the casting becomes smart from a marketplace perspective. Schwarzenegger remains a legacy action icon whose name travels globally. Hemsworth brings a younger franchise-facing profile, especially after stepping into the role of Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher. Together, they give The Kelly’s a cross-generational hook: one star who helped define the modern action template, another positioned for the streaming-era franchise economy.
For Hungary, the larger story is not only that Schwarzenegger has arrived. It is that another Amazon MGM/Prime Video-scale production appears to be using Budapest as a base at a moment when global studios and streamers continue to rely on Central Europe for cost-effective, experienced, high-capacity production. Hungary offers a combination that Los Angeles producers understand well: skilled crews, flexible locations, major studio infrastructure, and a competitive tax incentive environment. Budapest can double for multiple European cities, host large-scale action units, and support both studio builds and practical location work.
The specific Hungarian production service company, studio facility, and local crew leadership for The Kelly’s have not been publicly identified in the supplied material. There is no confirmed information yet on whether the film is working out of Origo Studios, Korda Studios, or another facility, nor are daily location details public. That secrecy is not unusual. High-profile productions often keep local movement controlled until street closures, unit work, or social media sightings make the shoot impossible to hide.
Schwarzenegger himself may make that secrecy difficult. He is famously active on social platforms, particularly Instagram, and often posts once he settles into a new city. During earlier Budapest stays, fans and local press tracked his workouts, bike rides, and casual appearances with enthusiasm. If he follows the same pattern this time, The Kelly’s may begin as a tightly held studio project but quickly become a citywide pop-cultural event.
The project also arrives with an interesting footnote: Schwarzenegger previously had another Hungary-linked production planned, Breakout, which was delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike but resumed filming in Budapest in December 2023. That history gives his latest reported Budapest arrival an added industry resonance. It is not simply a celebrity returning to a city he likes; it is a reminder that Hungary remains on the call sheet for action-driven international work, even after the disruptions that reshaped Hollywood’s production calendar in recent years.
For now, the biggest open questions around The Kelly’s remain creative. Who is directing? Who wrote the script? Which producers are steering the package? How large is the Hungarian shoot? Will Budapest play itself, double for another city, or serve mainly as a production base? These details will define whether The Kelly’s is merely another streamer action title passing through Hungary or a production that meaningfully uses the country’s locations, crews, and screen identity.
Still, the ingredients are already strong: Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video, Schwarzenegger, Hemsworth, action-comedy mechanics, and Budapest. In today’s streaming marketplace, where familiar stars and clean genre hooks remain valuable, The Kelly’s looks designed to travel. A young cop, a terrorist conspiracy, a rule-smashing veteran police family, and one of the most recognizable action figures in cinema history — that is a package built for global discoverability.
For Budapest Reporter’s readers in Los Angeles, the takeaway is straightforward. Hungary is again in the mix for a studio-backed action project with above-the-title talent, and Schwarzenegger’s arrival gives the shoot instant visibility. Whether The Kelly’s becomes a breakout Prime Video title or simply another entry in the crowded action-streaming lane, its Budapest footprint reinforces a bigger industry trend: Hungary is no longer just an alternative location. It is part of the global production machine’s core infrastructure.
And when Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up at the airport, the town notices.
