Pinewood Studios expands into Georgia
Britain’s famous Pinewood Studios has Georgia on its mind.
Pinewood Shepperton announced plans to open a film studio on 288 acres south of Atlanta in Fayette County. The project, the first in the U.S. for Pinewood, will include at least five sound stages for producing “world class” films, television, music and video games, the company said in a statement.
Located outside of London, Pinewood dates from the 1930s and has been used in many James Bond movies, as well the upcoming Angelina Jolie film “Maleficent.” Pinewood also has studios in Canada, Germany, the Dominican Republic and Malaysia.
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Pinewood Atlanta is a joint venture with River’s Rock, a trust of the Cathy family, which established the Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant empire in Atlanta.
Pinewood executives cited Georgia’s film tax credit as a major draw. The state provides a 20% tax credit for companies that spend $500,000 or more production in the state. Film producers also can receive an additional 10% if the project helps promote the state of Georgia.
“Today’s agreement is another step forward for the Pinewood brand internationally,” Ivan Dunleavy, Pinewood CEO said in a statement. “This new studio will target U.S. productions. Georgia has excellent fiscal incentives and a great crew base. With River’s Rock, we have a well-resourced partner that is committed to building a first-class studio facility.”
The project is the latest among several new sound stages that have sprouted in Georgia in recent years, capitalizing on the state’s growing film business.
The popular cable TV series “The Walking Dead” films in Georgia, as did the “Hunger Games” sequel. In 2012, productions in Georgia produced an estimated $3.1 billion in economic activity, a nearly 30% increase over 2011.
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