Plans are underway to build a sprawling studio complex in Abu Dhabi, which is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and has served as an exterior location for portions of Hollywood franchises such as “Dune,” “Star Wars” and “Fast and Furious.”
The announcement that Abu Dhabi is taking the plunge and investing in a world class studio facility comes as nearby Saudi Arabia is starting to gain traction in luring international productions.
State-owned media and production hub twofour54 Abu Dhabi has announced that the filming facility, named twofour54 Studios, will span over 100 acres and comprise 11 state-of-the-art soundstages, an exterior water tank and six versatile standing sets.
“Twofour54 Studios will be a future-proof, virtual production-ready, metaverse-enabled and fully-fledged production destination, addressing high demand in the regional and global production landscape,” the company said in a statement.
The studio lot will include office space and encompass post-production facilities and screening rooms.
Abu Dhabi has been gaining traction as a location for international production thanks to its rebate of up to 30% on qualified spend, combined with no hassle paperwork and logistical assistance. Besides Hollywood shoots, the city and its surrounding desert have also attracted Bollywood productions including “Bharat” and “Tiger Zinda Hai.”
“The creative industries have been identified as one of Abu Dhabi’s priority sectors given the important economic and social value they create,” said Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, CEO of twofour54 Abu Dhabi parent company ADNEC Group in the statement. “We are proud to drive Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming a leading global destination for content creation through twofour54 Studios. It will take film and TV production to the next level, creating jobs and contributing to the local economy following its completion in 2025.”
“Twofour54 has facilitated thousands of productions over the last 15 years, establishing a compelling track record and building a deep expertise of the global film industry’s demands,” noted twofour54 CEO Mark Whitehead. “Leveraging this invaluable experience, twofour54 identified an opportunity in the MENA region – the demand for an integrated, future-ready production destination,” he added.
