Jeremy Hunt backs North East studio plans: Sunderland 'Barbie':

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt wants the north-east of England to get involved in mass consumption Barbie The noise.

Speaking to local press over the weekend, Hunt confirmed that his government is currently in talks with a group of investors, including James Corden's company Fulwell 73, who have drawn up plans to build a new film studio in the area.

“We've had very good discussions with people who are hoping to invest here,” Hunt said. “All I will say is that the movie was a big hit in California this year.” Barbie It was shot in Hertfordshire – next time, let's get Sunderland Barbie“.

Here, Hunt references parts of Greta Gerwig's production Barbie It takes place at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, just outside London.

FulwellCain, a joint venture between Corden's Fulwell 73 and Cain International, has submitted plans to local authorities to create the complex at the former Crown Works Studios in Sunderland. FulwellCain, which is tipped to create and support 8,450 jobs, said the studio would serve as one of the “largest facilities in Europe” and could annually generate up to £334 million for the local economy.

The 1.68 million-square-foot scheme will include 20 sound stages for feature film and television productions, Folwell-Cain said. If approved, work could begin next year and be completed by 2027.

“This is a transformative plan that will not only revitalize the economy of the city and region, but will represent a major boost for the UK’s creative industries, and we are determined to do everything we can to ensure the impact of the studios is fully understood,” Leo Perlman, Fulwell’s managing partner, said of the plans at the time. Earlier this month: