Ever heard of a "Movie City"? It sounds like something out of a 1940s backlot dream, but in Georgia, it's becoming a massive, controversial reality. We aren't just talking about a few green screens and a craft services tent. We are talking about Movie City for Conquest, a sprawling infrastructure project designed to turn a quiet corner of the South into a global media powerhouse.
It’s huge. It’s expensive. And honestly, it’s making a lot of people very nervous.
When you look at the tax incentives in Georgia, it makes sense why Hollywood fled the West Coast. California is expensive. New York is crowded. Savannah? Savannah has Spanish moss, historical architecture, and a local government willing to bet the farm on the "Y'allywood" boom. But the Conquest project isn't just another studio; it’s a bid for total regional dominance.
What is Movie City for Conquest exactly?
Basically, it's a massive integrated film studio and production hub. Unlike Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, which is a walled garden of sorts, the Movie City for Conquest footprint is designed to act as a "city within a city."
It’s located near the Effingham and Chatham county lines. The developers didn't just want stages; they wanted a full ecosystem. We’re talking about 100,000 square feet of soundstages, mill shops for set building, and even housing for the "gypsy" workforce of grips, electrics, and actors who follow the tax credits.
The scale is staggering.
The project is spearheaded by Conquest, an investment and development firm that realized building a studio isn't about the movies—it's about the real estate and the infrastructure. If you own the land where the Marvel movie is being shot, you don't just get the rent; you get the catering fees, the equipment rentals, and the power grid revenue. It's a vertical integration play that would make the old studio moguls of the 1920s blush.
The Savannah Land Grab
You’ve probably seen the headlines about "Silicon Valley" moving to the South, but the film industry is far more disruptive to local land prices.
For the Movie City for Conquest project to work, they needed space. Lots of it.
Acquiring hundreds of acres of Georgia timberland isn't a quiet process. Local residents in Guyton and Springfield have been vocal about the "encroachment" of Hollywood. It’s a classic conflict. On one hand, you have the promise of thousands of high-paying tech and craft jobs. On the other, you have a rural community that doesn't necessarily want 40-foot semi-trucks rolling down two-lane roads at 3:00 AM because a night shoot just wrapped.
💡 You might also like: Big Lots in Potsdam NY: What Really Happened to Our Store
The environmental impact is also a sticking point. Developers have had to navigate complex wetlands regulations. Georgia's coastal plains are beautiful, but they are literal swamps. Building heavy soundstages—structures that require massive concrete slabs to support heavy lighting rigs and sets—on soft coastal soil is an engineering nightmare.
Why Conquest Chose This Spot
- The Savannah Film Office: They are arguably the most aggressive film recruiters in the country.
- Diversity of Locations: You can shoot the Revolutionary War, a modern city, and a tropical jungle all within a 20-minute drive.
- The Airport: Direct flights to LAX and JFK are non-negotiable for A-list talent.
Economic Boom or Just a Bubble?
Economists are split on whether these mega-projects actually pay off for the taxpayer.
Georgia spends over $1 billion annually on film tax credits. Critics, like those at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, argue that this money is basically a subsidy for wealthy Disney and Netflix executives. They claim the "local jobs" are often temporary and that the real money leaves the state the moment the production wraps.
However, the team behind Movie City for Conquest argues their model is different. Because they are building permanent infrastructure—warehouses that can be used for logistics if the film industry ever dries up—they claim they are "future-proofing" the investment.
Think about it. A soundstage is just a very fancy, sound-proofed warehouse. If Hollywood leaves, Amazon can move in.
That's the "Conquest" strategy: dominance through utility.
The Technical Reality of Modern Soundstages
People think a movie studio is just a big room. It’s not.
To compete in 2026, a facility like Movie City for Conquest has to offer "Virtual Production" stages. This is the technology used in The Mandalorian. Instead of a green screen, you have a "Volume"—a massive wrap-around LED wall that displays 3D environments in real-time.
These stages require an insane amount of electricity. We are talking about enough power to run a small town. Conquest had to negotiate directly with Georgia Power to upgrade the local substation just to keep the lights on. If the power flickers during a $200 million shoot, the studio is liable for the lost time. That is a massive risk.
📖 Related: Why 425 Market Street San Francisco California 94105 Stays Relevant in a Remote World
The Local Pushback: It's Not All Red Carpets
If you walk into a coffee shop in Savannah and bring up "the new studio," you'll get an earful.
"Traffic is already a mess," one local business owner told a town hall meeting last year. There is a legitimate fear that the Movie City for Conquest will drive up property taxes so high that the people who actually work at the studio won't be able to afford to live within an hour of it.
We’ve seen this happen in Fayetteville, GA, near Trilith Studios (formerly Pinewood). What used to be farmland is now high-end European-style "urban villages" where houses start at $600,000. It's great for the tax base, but it changes the DNA of a town forever.
The Competition
Conquest isn't the only player in town.
- Trilith Studios: The 800-pound gorilla in Atlanta.
- EUE/Screen Gems: The established veteran in Atlanta and Wilmington.
- BlueStar Studios: The new massive development at the former Fort McPherson.
Conquest is trying to carve out the "Coastal" niche. They want to be the primary option for anything that needs water, historic squares, or that specific Lowcountry light.
What Most People Get Wrong About Movie City
Most people think these studios are about "Art."
Honestly? They are about electricity, logistics, and tax law.
The Movie City for Conquest project is essentially a massive logistics hub where the "product" just happens to be digital files. When a production moves in, they bring 500 people who all need to eat, sleep, and buy lumber. The Conquest project is designed to capture every single cent of that spending.
If a production needs to rent a crane, they rent it from a Conquest-affiliated vendor. If they need catering, they use the on-site industrial kitchen. It’s a "Company Town" model for the 21st century.
👉 See also: Is Today a Holiday for the Stock Market? What You Need to Know Before the Opening Bell
Is the Conquest Project Sustainable?
The big question hanging over the Georgia film industry is the sunset clause on tax credits. If the state legislature ever decides to cap the credits—like Florida or Louisiana did—the industry could vanish overnight.
This is why the Movie City for Conquest developers are moving so fast. They need to become "too big to fail." By embedding themselves into the local economy and building permanent structures, they make it much harder for the state to pull the rug out from under them.
But there are risks.
- AI Content Generation: If movies start being made by people in bedrooms using Sora or Runway, do we still need 100,000-square-foot soundstages?
- Interest Rates: This is a debt-heavy project. High rates make these massive builds much more dangerous for investors.
- Labor Strikes: The recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes showed how easily these "cities" can become ghost towns.
Navigating the Future of Georgia Film
If you’re a local business owner or a real estate investor, the Movie City for Conquest is either your biggest opportunity or your biggest threat.
The "Conquest" isn't just a name; it’s a mission statement. They are looking to redefine how movies are made in the South by controlling the ground they are filmed on. It’s a bold, risky, and incredibly expensive gamble that will either make Savannah the new Hollywood or leave behind a collection of very expensive, very quiet warehouses.
Actionable Insights for Stakeholders
For those looking to engage with or understand the impact of the Movie City for Conquest project, certain steps are essential:
Local Business Owners: Don't wait for the studio to open. The procurement process for vendors (construction, landscaping, janitorial) often starts two years before the first "Action!" is called. You need to get on the "Approved Vendor" lists now.
Real Estate Investors: Look at the "commuter corridor" between Savannah and the Conquest site. The demand for mid-tier rental housing for production crews will likely spike. These aren't long-term residents; they are "seasonal" professionals who want furnished, high-speed internet-ready units for 3–6 months.
Job Seekers: The "glamour" jobs are hard to get, but the "trade" jobs are desperate for people. If you have experience in HVAC, industrial electricity, or high-end carpentry, the film industry pays a premium. The Movie City for Conquest will need a permanent facility staff that numbers in the hundreds, regardless of what movies are shooting.
Community Members: Attend the zoning and planning commission meetings. The Conquest project is still evolving, and public input on light pollution and traffic patterns has already forced design changes. Staying informed via the Chatham County planning portal is the only way to ensure local voices aren't drowned out by the sound of money.
The reality is that Movie City for Conquest is a massive machine. It’s moving forward, and it’s going to change the face of the Georgia coast. Understanding the mechanics behind the "magic" is the only way to keep up.