Pinewood Shepperton, the U.K. film studio famously used for the James Bond films, announced plans on Monday for its first U.S. facility, which will be based in Atlanta.
According to CBS News, Pinewood Atlanta will be lead by Pinewood and investment firm River's Rock LLC. It will be spread over 288 acres south of Atlanta in Fayette County. It will have five sound stages plus offices.
“Today’s agreement is another step forward for the Pinewood brand internationally,” Pinewood CEO Ivan Dunleavy said in a statement. This new studio will target US 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.”
Pinewood’s U.K. facility has been used to film parts of Alien, James Bond films, the new Angelina Jolie Disney movie Maleficent and Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Jack Ryan. The company does have an office in Los Angeles, but it decided to take advantage of tax breaks in Georgia for its first facility.
According to the BBC, Georgia currently offers productions a 20-30 percent tax break if they spend $500,000 or more on production there. If they feature a Georgia peach logo, productions get another 10 percent off. AMC’s The Walking Dead is based in Georgia and scenes for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire were completed there as well.
"Pinewood Atlanta's location will contribute significantly to Georgia's growing reputation as a top draw for movie and television productions," Gov. Nathan Deal said in a statement. "We welcome the business this world-renowned company will bring to the state and the jobs it will create for our crew base and supporting companies."
image: Pinewoodgroup.com