Amazon MGM Studios announced Wednesday it has signed a deal with Pinewood Group for exclusive use of new production facilities at Pinewood Toronto Studios for future productions.
The new studio space, located in downtown Toronto, was officially opened during a ribbon-cutting event attended by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
“The deal is the first multi-year commitment by Amazon MGM Studios to Canadian studio space and includes exclusive use of five new state-of-the-art sound stages, accompanying workshops and office accommodation, totalling approximately 160,000 square feet,” reads an Amazon press release.
“Pinewood Group is an industry-leader and with the Toronto region’s best-in-class crews, this agreement offers us immense opportunity for the continued expansion of film and series projects in Toronto, Ontario, and Canada,” Dan Scharf, vice-president of global business operations at Amazon MGM Studios, said in the release. “We are thrilled our productions will continue to have a home in Toronto for many years to come.”
“This landmark agreement further strengthens our relationship with Amazon MGM Studios and demonstrates our joint commitment to the City of Toronto,” said Paul Golding, chairman of Pinewood Group. “We are very much looking forward to working together and welcoming many incredible productions to the Pinewood Toronto Studio lot.”
Amazon’s long-term commitment to studio space in Toronto “aligns with Amazon MGM Studios’ current strategy of expanding its production footprint in Canada,” the press release says.
Amazon MGM Studios, MGM Television and MGM+ Studios have previously produced and commissioned more than 40 series and films shot in Canada, including: The Boys, Gen V, Reacher and The Handmaid’s Tale in Ontario; Fargo and Billy The Kid in Alberta; The Man in the High Castle and Upload in British Columbia; Tales from the Loop in Manitoba; as well as parts of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Voyeurs in Quebec.
The announcement of the deal between Amazon MGM Studios and Pinewood Group comes a week after Amazon announced it is laying off hundreds of employees at Amazon Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.
Photo of Pinewood Toronto Studios courtesy of Amazon Canada.
