Pinewood Atlanta Studios, home to blockbuster films like Avengers: Endgame, and Pinewood Forest, a 235-acre mixed-use development, jointly has been rebranded “Trilith,” according to a press release Wednesday. This new 935-acre master development includes the studio, now called Trilith Studios, as well as a slate of vendor businesses, homes and micro-villages, restaurants, and schools, all aimed at servicing the film and creative industries.
The name Trilith, which “conjures the iconic three-stone structure of Stonehenge, is emblematic of the three pillars of creativity behind it: storytelling, purpose-built places and emerging technology,” according to the release.
“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,” Frank Patterson, president and CEO of Trilith Studios, LLC, said in the release. “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.”
Patterson and development partners are building more than 220,000 square feet of new spaces on its 700-acre campus, including a Creative Office Centre designed to house content and technology companies and 60,000 square feet of smart stages with virtual production technologies designed to fit any budget. Recently, the studio developed and launched a first-of-its-kind virtual LED stage. In January, the studio began a series of strategic investments in content and technology companies to expand its business ecosystem, with initial investments in Believe Entertainment Group, best known for the Academy Award-winning Dear Basketball, and Sutikki, a kids entertainment company known for the preschool TV series Moon and Me.
“Trilith developers aim to connect business with lifestyle through a European-inspired town that serves as the development’s cultural center,” according to the release. Construction on the walkable community began two years ago with plans to house 5,000 residents in 1,400 homes, including 600 multi-family homes, that were imagined to accommodate the price sensitivities of creatives in all stages of their careers — from micro-homes, canopy homes, and townhomes, to custom-designed single-family homes and estates. The town recently launched the locally owned Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar, which is the first of 12 food concepts that will complement the shops to be located in Town Centre, a 270,000 square feet retail development. “We are excited about making a spectacular gathering place where professionals in the creative industries – and anyone who appreciates storytelling and innovation – will feel inspired and at home,” Rob Parker, president of Trilith Development, LLC, said in the release.
The residential neighborhoods at Trilith comprise the “largest geothermal community in the United States,” with 51 percent of the development dedicated to green space, and is currently home to more than 1,000 trees. Residents have access to 15 miles of nature trails, 54 acres of forest, 19 landscaped parks, and a dog park. “Everything we build is intended to endure and thrive, even 100 years from now,” Parker said.
From its inception, Trilith developers focused on fitness, wellness, and education, so the town is home to the Piedmont Wellness Center, a 60,000 square foot fitness facility, a K-12 micro-school with a story arts focus and learner-driven technology called The Forest School, and the University of Georgia’s MFA program in Screenwriting. The Georgia Film Academy, which was founded by the state’s University System and the Technical College System in 2014 to meet workforce needs for the film and creative industries, has its largest campus at Trilith that includes a soundstage, workshops, post facilities, and classrooms. In 2021, Parker and development partners plan 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 to host industry and arts-related events in the town.
Trilith developers expect the expansion of the studios and growth of the town to increase the value proposition for producers of big-budget films and television shows. “We’ve been producing movies at this amazing Atlanta studio since the day it opened in 2014,” David Grant, VP of Physical Production of Marvel Studios, said in the release. “We look forward to producing more great work at Trilith and expect to benefit from the new world-class facilities, technologies, and expanding business ecosystem.”
The U.K-based Pinewood Group Limited recently sold its stake in Pinewood Atlanta to its Atlanta-based partners which prompted the name change and rebranding.
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Looks like a pretty fancy car wash they got there.
Second rendering must be the Dyson car dryers.