Hollywood studio plans to build film complex in Reading
Plans to develop the "largest purpose-built film studio" in the UK have been put forward in Reading.
US company Blackhall Studios and the University of Reading want to build the new £150m studios at Thames Valley Science Park. Blackhall said the move would "bring major Hollywood film productions to the UK" and create up to 3,000 jobs. The company has produced movies such as Venom, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Jumanji: The Next Level. The company said £500m a year would be invested in the complex, which would produce roughly five to seven movies a year and create 1,500 jobs on-site. Ryan Millsap, chairman of Blackhall, which has a studio complex in Atlanta, Georgia, said he was "excited to be establishing a base in the UK". He said the plans were made after the company's US-based clients Disney, Universal and Sony were "all asking us to expand into the UK to meet their desire to create productions here". "We hope that the site at Thames Valley Science Park will be the start of a series of investments in the UK which will see investment in jobs, training and the creative arts across a range of disciplines," he added. The company said the plans would be submitted to Wokingham Borough Council this year, with a view to opening the new facility in 2022. The University of Reading, which owns Thames Valley Science Park, said the studio would "not only benefit the economy, but also its students, the local community and the environment".