UK film studio Pinewood Shepperton is to expand to the USA for the first time, announcing plans to build its first sound stages south of Atlanta, Georgia on a complex that will be take up some 288 acres in a joint venture with a US investment company.

Pinewood most famously is the home of the James Bond franchise and this is the latest stage in its expansion, with the BBC reporting that it recently signed a joint venture with a Chinese media group which could give them access to the rapidly expanding Chinese film industry. The CEO of Pinewood, Ivan Dunleavy commented in a statement “Today’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.”

A statement from partner company River Rock said “We are tremendously excited to be creating a world class studio in the state of Georgia and are looking forward to working with Pinewood in the many years to come. The Pinewood brand is so well recognized in the global film industry and together there is a great opportunity to build an excellent facility that will attract the very best producers.” Given the success of Bond, it’s a huge surprise that Pinewood haven’t made such a move previously; with this and the Chinese move, though, it would appear they’re looking to make up for lost time.

Daniel Craig

A new home for Daniel Craig and James Bond?