Hollywood films such as “Transformers” and “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” have been filmed in Montreal. And now the Canadian city is hoping to attract even more American producers with the announcement that it plans to expand MELS studios.
MELS 4, a new 160,000-square-foot production studio, is expected to be completed in spring 2023 with 60,000 as dedicated film studio space. The rest of the space will be staging areas, workshops, production offices, and auxiliary functions. The $76 million project is being supported by the Government of Quebec, which has provided MELS with $25 million.
“Montreal needs to provide producers with leading-edge installations in order to take advantage of the growing demand for filming space in Quebec. The construction of MELS 4 studios will allow the company to meet this demand, as well as to develop local talent and attract major TV and movie shoots to Quebec,” said Éric Girard, Quebec Minister of Finance and Minister of Economy and Innovation, in a statement.
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With the completion of MELS 4, MELS will own 21 film studios totalling over 500,000 square feet.
“MELS has already built a worldwide reputation for its installations, expertise and services,” said MELS President Martin Carrier in a statement. “With MELS 4, we’re proud to present an even more attractive offering, through which we can meet the growing needs of the TV and movie mega-production industry. In tandem with the technological shift we undertook in 2020 – most notably with the launch of our new virtual production set – this project will allow us to stand out in a highly competitive market, both internationally and here in Canada.”
Construction will begin later this year. TVA Group—North America’s largest broadcaster of French-language entertainment, news and public affairs programming—will oversee the expansion, with support from the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal.