By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Following decades of lobbying from performing arts groups around the state, the Arizona Legislature passed a new tax credit measure earlier this year to incentivize television and movie production. Starting next year, studios can qualify for credits of up to $75M, which increase to $100M in 2024 and $125M in 2025, according to KTAR.
Two studios have announced plans to build production facilities in Arizona as a result of the new program, including one studio that was instrumental in the new law’s design.
Matthew George, president of Acacia Filmed Entertainment, told Variety, his firm and others helped craft the bill to enable financing flexibility for studios.
The company plans to build the Arizona Studio Complex in “the Scottsdale area.” An article in Phoenix Business Journal quotes Acacia’s lobbyist as saying the site will be located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
The same article says the Arizona Studio Complex will consist of 14 sound stages encompassing 640KSF on 70 acres. The planned stage area is among the world’s largest at 60KSF, and the project also features an additional 30-acre backlot.
According to Variety, “Acacia plans to break ground next year, with construction expected to take about 18 months. The project will be built in phases, with the first phase including seven soundstages. A subsequent phase will add more soundstages, plus post-production facilities. The project is expected to cost at least $200M, George said, and will be developed in partnership with the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.”
Phoenix Business Journal says the design firm will be AJC Architects of Salt Lake City.
The second facility, The Desert Studios Complex, will be built in Buckeye. Variety quotes project lobbyist Nick Simonetta as saying the project will cost “multiple hundreds of millions of dollars.” Phase I will consist of 16 soundstages and will be able to ultimately expand to as many as 64 over time. Post-production facilities are also included in the plan.
Variety says Desert Studios is expected to break ground in Q1 of 2023.
BEX Staff has been unable to confirm or identify any details of the Desert Studios Complex plan from any other source. Consequently, we are not yet adding it to DATABEX or including any On the Job profile information. We will continue to check on the project regularly and update both the database and the magazine as soon as more details are available.
