Major movie studio files proposal for massive DeKalb County expansion project

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Dekalb County and one of Georgia’s biggest movie studios is looking to grown their footprint in the metro Atlanta area in the very near future.

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Blackhall Global Partners, LLC, announced it has filed permits with the county to build a studio facility on its 155-acres adjacent to the current Blackhall Studios property in the southwest part of the county. The group says the $250 million expansion project would create a new purpose-built studio facility next to the current Blackhall Studios location.

BGP says the expansion would create an impact of over $1 billion to the county, and would make them the largest studio facility in the state. They also say the project will add nearly 5,900 jobs for the county coffers, while not being a part of the land exchange they had with the county in 2020.

Some of the movies and TV shows filmed at the Blackhall Studios include: ‘Jumanji,’ ‘Venom,’ ‘Lovecraft Country,’ ‘Doctor Sleep’ and ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters.’

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond believes the county is ready for the growth and partnership.

“We are proud to be a part of the evolution of Blackhall Studios as their expansion brings economic growth opportunities and quality jobs to our County. Being home to the largest movie studio complex in the state of Georgia will bring us closer to fulfilling our vision for South DeKalb becoming a creative ecosystem for film and movie production,” Thurmond said.

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BGP is a global soundstage acquisition and development platform formed in partnership with Commonwealth Real Estate LP and Ryan Millsap, founder of Blackhall Studios, in early 2020. It’s goal is to expand the studio’s footprint to other key content production markets around the world. Commonwealth, a Los Angeles based investment manager, has ties to Atlanta through its managing director of real estate Peter Rumbold, who is an Emory University graduate.

Rumbold says this expansion is just one of the three projects world wide the BGP is spearheading.

“We are currently developing large-scale soundstage campuses in three of the world’s most prolific production markets, including here in South DeKalb County. While we are still in the process of a transformative transition for the current Blackhall Studios property, we are moving forward to deliver over a half million square feet of new filming space with additional warehouse, office and catering space on our adjacent parcel,” Rumbold said.

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Jeff Weber, who will oversee the project, says he expects the project to have an immediate effect on the county and state of Georgia.

“We’re projecting the total economic impact of construction to be more than $400 million for DeKalb County with a total economic output of more than $500 million statewide. Construction activity will support more than 3,200 jobs in DeKalb and nearly 3,700 across the state,” said Weber.

Officials hope the facility will be finished during the second quarter of 2024. The studio says the expansion will enable BGP to meet the high demand for stage space in metro Atlanta which is expected to continue to increase as the industry fully returns from the effects of the pandemic and will continue to grow well into the future.

Georgia's film industry is wide open for business despite COVID-19 pandemic Channel 2's Jovita Moore spoke with the CEO of one metro movie production company about the industry's comeback.