FulwellCain Studios, a joint venture between global entertainment company Fulwell 73 and Cain International, has announced plans for Crown Works Studios in Sunderland, creating some 8,450 jobs across the North-East over the next decade, according to online news services Bdaily and Prolific North.

Actor James Corden is one of the partners involved in the project.

Described by city leaders as “the single most significant development announcement to come out of the North East in decades”, the project – aimed at creating one of the largest entertainment studios in Europe – will build on Fulwell 73’s existing presence in the city.

The joint venture will spearhead the development of a 1.68 million sq ft film industry hub in Sunderland’s North-West suburb of Pallion, with up to 20 premium sound stages suitable for major feature film and HETV productions. The scheme, which requires support from government to go ahead, will be delivered in three phases, with work set to start later this year and the final phase set to complete by 2027.

Subject to planning processes, Crown Works Studios will stand on land on the banks of the river Wear, which played a critical role throughout the industrial revolution, when the city was a shipbuilding powerhouse.

“The studios will be transformational for the city’s economy, cultivating an eco-system on a scale not seen since Nissan’s investment in Sunderland in the 1980s, while meeting the growing demand for studio space in the UK. Upon completion, the scheme could generate £336m for the local economy every year, creating jobs and contract opportunities spanning a vast range of disciplines including the trades and manual skills,” the Bdaily news service said.

Fulwell 73’s partners – Gabe Turner, Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, Ben Winston and James Corden – issued this joint statement: “We are unified in our belief that there is a unique opportunity to bring further high-end production to the UK through this ambitious Sunderland-based studio project; putting the region on the map as a global production destination.”

Pearlman, managing partner at Fulwell 73, continued: “Fulwell is a company built on family and the North-East is embedded in our DNA. For over 100 years my family had a business here in Sunderland and called this great city home, so to be able to bring Fulwell back to where the inspiration for our global entertainment company began is a truly humbling experience.

“Through delivering the studios, we will create a long-term production industry infrastructure, attract even more significant high end production to the UK and ensure that future generations of North Eastern talent can develop and prosper at home within the region.”

Crown Works Studios will include provision for production workshops and office space, a vendor village for supply chain businesses, administrative and social facilities, a multi-storey car park and an extensive backlot.

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