Savannah-area Moon River Studios Project Scaled Down

The studio name is inspired by the famed "Breakfast at Tiffany's" song by
Savannah musician Johnny Mercer.

Imagine this—Moon River Studios: the country's largest, full-service production complex built in coastal Effingham County, Georgia. Reminiscent of the dominant production companies of Hollywood's Golden Age, the mega-studio will be equipped with state of the art facilities built on a whopping 1,560 acres of land. It is quite a valiant dream, but it may remain just a dream.

Recent reports have revealed that Moon River Studios (parent company FONU2) has failed to meet the mandatory milestones stated in its original agreement with Effingham County's Industrial Development Authority (IDA). This has resulted in a revised agreement for the studio to scale back to Phase One of its master plan.

Pinewood Atlanta to Transform Georgia Film Industry

Pinewood Atlanta Studios as of October 2013.
Photo: Pinewood Atlanta Studios

In April 2013, The Pinewood Group announced plans to break ground on a brand new film, television, and music studio in Fayetteville, just fifteen miles south of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The Pinewood Group, which manages film studios worldwide, is responsible for the James Bond franchise and numerous blockbusters; most notable recent titles include “Pacific Rim,” “World War Z,” “Captain Phillips,” and “Gravity.” Fayetteville’s location will be Pinewood’s first in the United States.

A campus this influential promises huge strides for the Georgia film industry, and Pinewood seems as excited about their arrival as we are. Pinewood Group’s CEO, Ivan Dunleavy:

“[April 26th’s] agreement is another step forward for the Pinewood brand internationally. 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.”

Triple Horse to build movie studio in Covington

Triple Horse Studios has announced plans to build a $100 million movie studio in Covington. The county seat of Newton County—Covington is no stranger to film and television production. Part of the Metropolitan Atlanta statistical area, the studio will be about 30 miles east-southeast of Atlanta with easy access to Interstate 20.

Phase 1 will cost $38 million and includes five sound stages as well as mill, work and office space. The completed project will be situated on 160 acres and feature multiple sound stages, exterior filming areas, a studio backlot, post-production facilities and more. Triple Horse expects to add about three dozen full-time jobs, with more jobs as more phases are completed.

No word yet on when construction will commence, but the studio promises more details are forthcoming. Triple Horse is the fourth production company to announce big plans for Georgia in the past two months. Tyler Perry Studios have released plans for the expansion of their Atlanta facilities as well as both Medient and Pinewood announcing ambitious plans for new studios in Effingham County and Fayette County, respectively.

Medient & Pinewood to build movie studios in Metro Savannah, Atlanta

Medient Studios Inc. has announced plans for a 1,500 acre movie studio near Savannah. The company is billing the project as the largest movie production facility in America, with various buildings and venues comprising the project. Only a quarter-of-a-million square feet of sound stage exists in preliminary plans, but video gaming space, a 9,000-seat auditorium and a glass-enclosed 25,000-capacity concert venue are included.

Estimates for the cost of the studio range from $90-300 million, including the $10 million for the land acquisition over a 20-year lease. The lot is located along Interstate 16 near Old River Road in the extreme southern portion of Effingham County near Bloomingdale and Pooler, with easy access to both Savannah Hilton Head International Airport and Downtown Savannah. Construction is expected to begin by June and the studio is expected to create 1,000 jobs.

Medient is a Los Angeles based, publicly listed company with strong ties to India. Plans are ambitious, but still vague as no timeline yet exists and the master plan has yet to be submitted to Effingham County. The Effingham County Industrial Authority has already voted unanimously to approve plans. While it is hard to imagine that the final product will be on the same scale in terms of design, these studios are nonetheless great news for Metro Savannah and Georgia's film industry alike.