New Hollywood to be built in city’s north with mega film studios planned

Secret talks are being held with an international consortium on securing a large block of acreage land in the city’s north to create “the Hollywood of the South Pacific”.

Secret talks are being held with an international consortium on securing a large block of acreage land in the city’s north to create “the Hollywood of the South Pacific”.

The Bulletin can reveal a United States-based consortium has approached council about buying the city’s 85ha site, neighbouring the Yatala industrial estate, for new film studios.

The north of the city is poised to become the "new Hollywood" with a secret deal to create biggest ever studio development. City leaders have met privately with an overseas consortium. They have located a huge block of land at 396 Stanmore Rd Yatala. Picture Glenn Hampson

Council bought the land, known as the Enkelmann Farm, for $12.8 million in 2018, and the former cattle property located between the Gold Coast and Brisbane remains open space surrounded by rural and residential properties.

A key player in negotiations told the Bulletin: “This (film studio deal) will bring $1 billion a year and 5000 jobs into the city’s economy.”

Australian film industry figures released in December last year showed more than $500 million was spent on productions in Queensland – an estimate $200 million of that was on the Gold Coast.

City councillors after a closed session briefing at full council on Monday voted for council’s site at 396 Stanmore Road to have a zoning for a “film industry related usage”.

The north of the city is poised to become the "new Hollywood" with a secret deal to create biggest ever studio development. City leaders have met privately with an overseas consortium. They have located a huge block of land at 396 Stanmore Rd Yatala. Picture: Glenn Hampson

The existing zoning was for future low impact industry but plans were for it to remain open space with sporting fields along with walkways along the Albert River.

A council source said: “There is a huge push for our film industry. They (film executives) flew out from the US first class,” the council source said.

“They want to build a (second) Hollywood. Village Roadshow is nine sound stages on ten hectares. This would be four times that size.”

Tom Hanks attends the Australian premiere of ELVIS at Event Cinemas Pacific Fair. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

The council resolution calls on the city to “undertake a market sounding exercise to assess investment interest” in the site, consider a “potential rezoning” to suit film production and appoint an external probity adviser to “assist with this process as soon as practical”.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate when approached for comment said: “We are certainly entering a very exciting time for the film industry in our city. Accolades must go to the State Government and Screen Queensland for their support over the last decade.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate on the Village Roadshow set of Elvis, where he met with director Baz Luhrmann.

“I can’t say too much right now as negotiations are at a confidential stage. But what I do know is that the world’s largest film produces are rightly viewing the Gold Coast as the Hollywood of the South Pacific. We must take full advantage of that.”

A critical factor in the UK consortium trip was Elvis being filmed on the Coast.

A council insider aware of the deal said: “It would be fair to say that the success of Elvis and the focus and publicity that people like Tom Hanks and Baz Luhrmann have brought has really turned the film industry’s attention to the Gold Coast.

One of the huge water tanks at the Village Roadshow studios on the Gold Coast.

“The film industry has major bases in Los Angeles, but also London, New York and to a slightly lesser extent Toronto and Atlanta. Whilst real estate is not cheap on the Gold Coast it is still more economic for the industry to set something say at Yatala than those other cities.”

The Bulletin understands Sydney was not considered an option due to the much higher price of real estate and lack of sites near the CBD which would allow stars like Hanks enjoy quick transports to locations.

Village Roadshow has in recent years at times of peak business had all of its sound stages booked out leading to production crews setting up infrastructure outside their Oxenford base.

“There is a need for a southern hemisphere base and they learnt from Covid that a Plan B is needed if Hollywood is shut down,” the council source said.

AN aerial view of Village Roadshow Studios with Sound Stage 9 on the left. Picture: Supplied

Insiders admit the creation of a new film studio base to get across the line would need federal tax incentives along with State Government investment backing.

“But this is a real live possibility and would bring thousands of jobs and literally hundreds of millions in investment,” the council source said.