Cinespace Studios plans to expand its presence in Toronto’s Port Lands district with a second Marine Terminal building for film and TV production.

The production facility and sound stage operator has signed a second long-term lease with PortsToronto to build upon the Marine Terminal Studio Hub by redeveloping Terminal 52, according to a news release.

The redevelopment of Marine Terminal 52 will see the creation of three production and support spaces totalling 130,000 square feet, with the target of welcoming world-class productions in 2023.

Cinespace was selected through an open, multi-year Request for Interest (RFI) process, followed by a Request for Proposal process that started in 2019. Global architecture, design and planning firm Gensler, which has an office in Toronto, has been selected to design the studio.

The deal builds upon Marine Terminal 51, which serves as Netflix’s production hub in Toronto and was recently the home to Guillermo Del Toro’s 2021 feature Nightmare Alley.

Cinespace estimates the new terminal in the city’s Studio District will create over 300 new jobs in Toronto. It will also meet the increased demand for production infrastructure in Ontario, which generates more than 48,000 jobs per year and last year saw a record $2.88 billion in direct spend, according a statement from Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

“Going forward, we remain fully committed to growing the industry and creating the conditions for thousands more production jobs to be filled by Ontario’s skilled workers,” said Ford.

Added Toronto Mayor John Tory: “Toronto’s screen industries have experienced a period of significant growth and investment over the last decade, and we know that there has been a real need for even more studio space. This project will not only help us attract more projects and more people to our city but as a result add more jobs which is good for our city and good for the economy.”

Image courtesy of Gensler