Long Beach Studios is an American film studio under development at the former Boeing factory in Long Beach, California
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History
The 78-acre (320,000 m2) facility is a factory originally completed in 1941 by Douglas Aircraft Company to build airplanes for the American war effort in World War II. The factory built 10,000 airplanes during the war then switched to civilian production. In 1967 Douglas merged with McDonnell Aircraft to form McDonnell Douglas, which in turn merged with Boeing in 1997. The factory built the mid-sized MD-95 (later renamed the Boeing 717) passenger jet airplane from 1995 until it was shut down in 2006.
Several attempts to convert the factory to other uses fell through. Long Beach Studios first entered escrow to purchase the facility in 2008, but the plan was canceled after the company could not secure financing. There were plans in 2009 for Tesla Motors to convert the factory for production of electric cars. In October 2009 a new deal was announced for Long Beach Studios to build a film studio there with 40 sound stages and an underwater filming tank. As of that date plans also included a luxury hotel and up to 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) of rental office space. The company planned it as part of a network of five studios in different locations in the United States. In November 2012, Boeing Realty Corp. announced it has sold the last parcel of the Douglas Park development by the Long Beach Airport that was once a center of aircraft manufacturing. Irvine-based real estate company Sares Regis Group on Monday announced the acquisition of 160 acres, which with 33.6 acres the company already owned, gives it the lion's share of the 261-acre Douglas Park. The group plans to develop the property with the potential for about 3.2 million square feet of premier office, industrial and retail facilities. There is no Long Beach Film Studio.
Management
Long Beach Studios is managed by Jay Samit, a former Sony and Universal executive and Jack O'Halloran, a former boxer and character actor.