The legendary Pinewood film company is to create a new studio in Cardiff.
The Welsh government hopes it will promote the region as a world-class location for film and TV production and anticipates the centre will generate something in the region of £90m for the economy.
It will be housed in the former Energy Centre building, a complex of 180,000 sq ft with the Welsh government investing up to £30m into projects from Pinewood.
Pinewood and Shepperton Studios have created more than 1,500o films in more than 75 years, but are probably most associated with James Bond and Carry On films.
Wales has already created a name for itself in TV and drama production. Programmes such as Casualty, the children’s drama Wizards vs Aliens, and the drama Pobol y Cwm are already produced at BBC Cymru studios in Cardiff Bay.
The announcement was welcomed by both Hollywood and Welsh stars. A number hailed the project as a superb opportunity to inspire a new generation of actors and film-makes from Wales.
