After a long illness Andrew Vajna sadly passed away on January 20th 2019.
Terminator Fans will know that Andy was half of the independent studio tour de force that was Carolco Pictures; and put the belief, backing and funding into James Cameron’s vision to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day a reality.
Although not directly involved with Terminator 2 (bar funding and co-ownership of Carolco Pictures), come Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines- Andy would get much more hands on with Terminator and produce directly with his friend Mario Kassar. Though Carolco Pictures no longer existed, the studio got a sequel of its own with C2 Pictures.
C2 was the successor of both Carolco Pictures and Cinergi Pictures (Cinergi being another studio launched by Vajna).
Andy also served as Executive Producer from 2008 to 2009 on T:TSCC (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Andy would go on to Executive Produce on Terminator Salvation also.
Terminator 6 and Andy Vajna
The Hungarian government had asked Andy to help enrich and shape the Film Industry in Hungary, and he had been working as a government commissioner for the Hungarian Film Industry since 2011, as well as being a successful business man and even extremely successful in the casino business (as he was one of only a few people in Hungary allowed to hold a casino operating license).
With very appealing tax rebates in place for Hollywood movies filming in Hungary; giant American super productions (including the upcoming Terminator 6) found the prospect of filming in the country very attractive indeed.
Terminator 6 which filmed in the country, at Origo Studios in Budapest, dominated an indoor soundstage for many months.
Even though Andrew Vajna was not directly involved with Terminator 6 he was key in the movie going to Hungary and helped to keep the budget down somewhat (something we approve of and wanted for the new movie).
Arnold Schwarzenegger also spent time with Andy and his family while making Terminator 6 and both celebrated birthdays that were pretty close together with each other.
Our thoughts go out to Andy’s family at this difficult time.
Andy Vajna was a dear friend and a revolutionary force in Hollywood. He proved that you don’t need studios to make huge movies like Terminator 2 or Total Recall. He had a huge heart, and he was one of the most generous guys around. I’ll miss him. My thoughts are with his family.
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 20, 2019
Andy Vajna was a great friend and collaborator. He believed in me on one of my toughest shoots, Terminator 2. I will miss him, his humor, class and style, but especially the motorcycle rides.
— James Cameron (@JimCameron) January 20, 2019
2 Comments
Rip in peace Andy
Rip giant of special effects