A big name movie company is proposing to build one of the largest film studios in Georgia. Pinewood Studios is looking at Fayette County, which could mean more movie jobs and more money to the Atlanta economy.
The studio from England has made movies in the popular "Harry Potter" and "James Bond" franchises.
At the Screen Gems Studios in southeast Atlanta, Kris Bagwell said that when movie companies build buildings, it means that filmmaking is here in Georgia to stay.
"We're thrilled that there's more infrastructure coming into Atlanta, because the more investment that we get in the ground here, the more real the whole movie business is here and it employs a lot of people, and this is a huge industry for Georgia now," Bagwell said.
Along with creating jobs, the film industry pumps money into the economy. Fayette County Commissioner Steve Brown says he's seen it his community, with neighboring Raleigh Riverwood Studios.
"It is a huge boom, not just for Fayette County, but for the southern crescent, south metro region and for the entire Atlanta region as a whole," said Brown.
Scott Tigchelaar, the president of Raleigh Riverwood Studios, said he would welcome a studio competitor in the area.
"I think it's good for everybody in the state of Georgia. You know, they passed the tax incentive that was supposed to bring the industry here and this is just evidence of a marquee name, Pinewood Studios, coming to Georgia and setting up," said Tigchelaar.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/Xp1kYw) that the studio is set to open next year with five sound stages on 288 acres in Fayette County, just south of Atlanta.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report
Wednesday, May 22 2013 2:23 PM EDT2013-05-22 18:23:35 GMT
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Photo courtesy of Pinewood Studios Group
