French Billionaire Xavier Niel, co-founder of entertainment giant Mediawan, has purchased a former military air base in France to turn it into a film studio called Studios de Reims.
The 48-hectare (119-acre) site is located in the Champagne region of northern France, approximately an hour away from Paris by train.
The deal was for an estimated €72m, with the French government contributing €12m.
A spokesperson for Niel told French newspaper L’Union that the proposed facility could create 250-300 jobs and serve as a “one-stop shop” for shooting films and series.
The site, which has been vacant since 2011, will house 17,000 m² of film sets, 28,000 m² of outdoor space and 22,412 m² of dressing rooms, workshops, and storage areas.
Three phases of planned renovations are scheduled to last until 2031, with the studio aiming to be operational by 2026. A training school for audiovisual professions is also in the works.
The new site has been rolled into the French government’s €54bn ‘France 2030’ plan, which aims to bolster global production infrastructure in the country.
A spokesperson for Mediawan confirmed to Screen that, while the group is not an official investor in the planned studio, it has supported its renovations and eligibility for the France 2030 state aid. It plans to be involved in its development and says that producers at the group’s global companies could shoot there.
Other major studios in France include the Paris-adjacent Studios de Paris and Bry-sur-Marne Studios, plus other hubs in the South such as the Studios de Provence in Martigues.
Niel, who made his fortune in telecoms and tech, co-founded Mediawan with Matthieu Pigasse and Pierre-Antoine Capton in 2015. Mediawan has more than 85 film and TV production labels in 14 countries.
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