North Star Studios of North Bay, Ont., plans to create what’s billed as the region’s largest film and television studio space.

The company has acquired a building (pictured) in North Bay’s industrial park for the facility, with plans to create five film and TV stages in more than 68,000 square feet, as well as 26,000 square feet of office space for production companies to use.

The studio will be capable of handling large-scale film and television productions.

A news release says the project is being led by the private sector, with no government funding involved. North Star Studios is investing $26 million into the acquisition and retrofit of the facility and plans to have the building ready for a production by Aug. 1 of this year.

North Star Studios plans to build a total of 500,000 square feet of studio space and additional 500,000 square feet of support facilities in North Bay over the next five to seven years.

The company has also announced a $150 million, 24-month production deal with U.K.-based ORWO Group, which will see films and TV series shoot in the new facility.

North Star Studios estimates the deal with ORWO Group could eventually create 1,000 new full-time jobs and result in $60 million in direct spending into the North Bay economy over the next two years.

North Bay has had several major productions film in the region in recent years, including Amazon’s Prime Video series The Lake, Hallmark Christmas features, Hallmark Channel Western drama series When Hope Calls, and features including All My Puny Sorrows and Lakewood.