Marvel star and New Orleans native Anthony Mackie has big plans for his hometown. Mackie has reportedly has bought 20 acres in New Orleans East where he plans to start a movie studio.
According to NOLA.com, the actor closed on a deal last Friday on the purchase of the land.
Mackie who trained initially at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts has officially said that it was too premature to discuss specifics of the deal.
Several people involved in the months-long negotiation for the land have revealed Mackie’s intent, which is to establish a movie studio for his new production company East Studios LLC.
Mackie is also reportedly looking to buy more land nearby.
New Orleans has been a destination for film and TV production and that trend is certainly on the rise, so Mackie establishing his own production company is a major win for the city and the actor.
As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic eases and production on more shows and movies will begin ramping up to pre covid levels, the New Orleans film industry is expected to boom.
Chris Stelly, executive group director of entertainment and digital media at the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, said of the booming industry: “We were one of the pioneering states in terms of offering incentives to filmmakers, and we’ve done a great job in terms of building state-of-the-art stages,” he said. “A full-fledged studio where you have everything in-house, that’s the ultimate goal.”
As NOLA.com reports, “The state’s motion picture production tax credit gives film productions a tax credit of as much as 40% on qualifying spending in the state, up to $150 million, including payroll for both local and out-of-state labor.”
