The site of the former Seth Boyden housing project will become a Lionsgate-backed production facility with six stages..
What was once a decrepit public housing project in Newark will soon be a massive film and TV production studio, following a $100 million deal announced Tuesday by a consortium of film companies and media investors.
Lionsgate, NJPAC and Great Point Studios will build a 300,000-square-foot facility with six production stages on the South Ward site of the former Seth Boyden housing project, which was abandoned in 2015 and demolished last February.
Great Point, whose founder Robert Halmi previously created the Hallmark Channel, will own and operate the studio. Lionsgate will be the anchor tenant and hold naming rights. (The two companies also collaborated on a studio facility in Yonkers.) NJPAC will manage public affairs and create programming for local students.
Construction is set to begin this summer, with a view to opening in late 2024.
Backers said the new facility, New Jersey’s first purpose-built for film and TV production, would create about 600 jobs, with priority going to Newark residents.
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