Hollywood is coming to Staten Island.
The old Arthur Kill prison will be turned into a $20 million movie backlot with five state-of-the-art sound stages to lure top filmmakers, officials announced Tuesday.
Broadway Stages plans to create a 69-acre mecca for making movies, TV shows and music videos. “We are looking forward to expanding on Staten Island and transforming Arthur Kill into a world class production facility,” said Broadway stages president Gina Argento.
Broadway Stages already operates studios in Brooklyn and Queens, boasting a total of 27 sound stages. The Staten Island project is expected to create up to 1,500 high-paying jobs over the next five years, officials said.
Broadway Stages has agreed to purchase the state-owned site on Staten Island’s West Shore for $7 million and invest $20 million in private funds to build the studio, officials said.
The Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, which once housed more than 900 prisoners, was closed in December 2011.
Kenneth Adams, commissioner of the Empire State Development Corp., said he couldn’t think of better use for a defunct prison. “For a long time, New York’s economic development strategy included keeping empty prisons open as job factories at the expense of taxpayers, but those days are over,” Adams said. “In the last three years, the state has closed nine prisons, allowing us to cut taxes, reduce spending and create new economic opportunities in the local communities,” Adams said.
The plan still requires public approval and is subject to contract negotiations. Argento said that within six months of closing on the deal, the company will make a portion of the facility available for film use. The rest of the project is expected to be completed in two years.
“Reinvesting in properties like this is one of many ways to bolster the economic development of the Island and craft a new perception of our borough,” said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo.
State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island), who lobbied Gov. Cuomo to bring a film studio to Staten Island, said the Broadway Stages project will help the borough “compete with the rest of the city.”
The Arthur Kill prison is no stranger to Hollywood. Scenes from the 2009 movie “Tenderness” — starring Russell Crowe — were filmed there.
