ATLANTA — Pinewood Atlanta Studios, home of blockbuster films such as Avengers: Endgame, has rebranded as Trilith Studios and unveiled a new 935-acre master development in South Atlanta. The project includes the studio as well as businesses, custom homes, “micro villages,” restaurants and schools, all aimed at servicing the film and creative industries.
Plans call for more than 220,000 square feet of new spaces on the campus, including a “Creative Office Centre” designed to house content and technology companies as well as 60,000 square feet of stages with computer-generated production technologies.
Trilith Development LLC says it “aims to connect business with lifestyle through a European-inspired town that serves as the development’s cultural center.” Construction on the walkable community began two years ago with plans to house 5,000 residents in 1,400 homes, including 600 multifamily units.
Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar is the first of 12 food concepts to complement the shops in Town Centre, a 270,000-square-foot retail development.
Half of the project is dedicated to green space. Residents will have access to 15 miles of nature trails and 19 landscaped parks.
Plans also call for Piedmont Wellness Center, The Forest School and a 60,000-square-foot fitness facility. The Georgia Film Academy maintains its largest campus at Trilith with a soundstage, workshops and classrooms.
In 2021, Trilith Development plans to build a 180-room boutique hotel, a 120-room select-service hotel, a nine-screen cinema and an 18,000-square-foot sound stage.
Trilith expects the development will create more than 7,000 jobs, including those related to the 60-plus businesses located onsite.
The U.K.-based Pinewood Group Limited recently sold its stake in Pinewood Atlanta to its Atlanta-based partners. The name Trilith is a reference to Stonehenge and “three pillars” of storytelling, purpose-built places and emerging technology, according to the company.
“A trilith is an appropriate symbol for our new identity as it represents a nod to our U.K. history while serving as a metaphor for the three pillars of our vision,” says Frank Patterson, president and CEO of Trilith Studios LLC. “The new Trilith Studios brand signals to the entertainment industry our expansion from a facilities business to an ecosystem intentionally built for the creative industries.”
In January, the studio began a series of strategic investments in content and technology companies to expand beyond movies. Initial investments include Believe Entertainment Group, best known for the Kobe Bryant animated short Dear Basketball, and Sutikki, a children’s entertainment company known for the TV series Moon and Me.
— Kristin Hiller