Paramount Pictures and the London Resort Reignite Partnership

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND THE LONDON RESORT REIGNITE PARTNERSHIP

Hollywood joins BBC Studios and ITV Studios in star studded line-up for London theme park resort

The London Resort, a global destination theme park, due to open in 2024, has announced that it has entered into a new partnership with Paramount Pictures. The studio joins BBC Studios and ITV Studios, contributing from among their outstanding range of Intellectual Property. The movie studio is home to some of the world’s most iconic films including The Godfather, The Italian Job, the Mission: Impossible franchise and, post-apocalyptic hit, A Quiet Place, and will be working with The London Resort to create a range of awe-inspiring experiences.

Although unconfirmed, however, as Paramount Pictures serves as a production partner and distributor for Nickelodeon Movies, the arm of Nickelodeon that produces theatrical films, and that Nickelodeon and Paramount are both owned by Viacom, it's entirely possible that the partnership will see attractions based on hit Nickelodeon films, such as The Rugrats Movie, The SpongeBob Movie, Harriet The Spy, Good Burger, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

PY Gerbeau, newly appointed Chief Executive of London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH) said: “The new partnership with Paramount is fantastic news for everyone. Now the best of Hollywood will be joining the best of British from BBC Studios and ITV Studios, to create amazing and unique experiences for the whole family.

“I am delighted to join The London Resort and to play my part in helping to create a world-class destination to rival all others. Central to that strategy is to partner with the best brands from across TV, film, music and entertainment. Having Paramount on board is a major step towards realising that ambition.”

Kevin Suh, President of Themed Entertainment and Consumer Products for Paramount Pictures said: “The London Resort represents a truly global resort opportunity and we’re delighted to be playing our part in bringing iconic movies to life in truly immersive experiences and rides. We’re also delighted, as the most iconic studio in Hollywood, to be sharing our unparalleled catalogue of instantly recognisable films and characters.”

The London Resort has pursued a strategy of working with individual partners to create a range of world leading experiences – all under one roof. The new deal will see Paramount join BBC Studios and ITV Studios, which has licensed its kids brands, in being part of one of the most visited tourist attractions in Europe.

The London Resort is set over 535 acres – the equivalent of 136 Wembley Stadiums. Three times larger than other UK parks, it will have 200 acres dedicated to rides and experiences and a bespoke entertainment district devoted to a full-suite of hospitality experiences including the provision of thousands of hotel rooms.

Millions of pounds have already been invested in The London Resort which will be one of the largest construction projects across Europe. Situated just 17 minutes from London, on the Swanscombe Peninsula, Kent, the resort will create thousands of jobs and once open will be a major regional contributor to the UK economy.

Renowned international entrepreneur and leisure industry executive PY Gerbeau joined The London Resort as Chief Executive in June 2019. He brings a vast wealth of experience from across the tourism, retail, sport, entertainment and real estate industries, including roles as co-founder and CEO of the largest and best performing leisure investment vehicle, X-Leisure, He also successfully turned around the fortunes of both Euro Disney and the Millennium Dome.

Paramount previously planned to be a part of the London Resort's 2020 launch, but that deal for a Universal Studios-style park, then dubbed "London Paramount", was put on hold while the theme park pushed back its open date to 2024.

More Nick: First-Look At Nickelodeon's New Family Entertainment Centre At intu Lakeside; Opening Autumn 2019!

H/T: License Global.

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Paramount Shelves Plans For London Theme Park

Plans to build a £3.5 billion Paramount Entertainment Resort in Dartford in Kent have been scrapped as developers and the film company part ways.

Developers have today announced a shock split from Paramount but still hope to submit plans by the end of this year.

Dubbed "London Paramount", the Universal Studios-style park was expected to have 50 rides and attractions inspired by some of the Hollywood favourites from the film company, including Transformers and Mission Impossible, as well as rides and attractions inspired by popular BBC and Aardman Animations properties, housed in zones such as Adventure Isle, Land of Legends, Cartoon Circus, Starfleet Command, Action Square, Port Paramount and Entertainment City. In addition to the rides, the park was to include a 2,000 seat theatre with regular West End quality shows, 11,000 sq m of exhibition space showcasing the best of British inventions and brands, along with over 11,000 restaurant covers in a variety of food outlets.

However, London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), who is leading the development, has said they are still working with local authorities and land owners to get the plans through public consultation.

Humphrey Percy, CEO of LRCH, said: "We want to express our sincere thanks to the many members of the Paramount team who have worked with us since we took over the Project in August 2013.

"This announcement does not have an effect on the timing of our planned Development Consent Order (DCO) submission in November 2017.

"We are working closely with the local authorities, landowners and local community, as well as our other stakeholders, and we very much look forward to showing our plans to the public as part of our final stage of consultation prior to submitting later this year."

"We are creating a unique entertainment destination offering a scale and quality unprecedented in the UK where much loved characters and stories will be brought to life from iconic movies, television, books,electronic gaming and toys."

It is believed the park will create 33,000 jobs in the North Kent area and will take up 110 acres of land on an old landfill site in Swanscombe Peninsula.

However, although plans for Disneyland-style theme park have fallen through, the planned resort popped recently up on Google Maps in North Kent under its proposed name, "London Paramount".

More Nick: First-Look At Nickelodeon's New Family Entertainment Centre At intu Lakeside!

Sources: Kent Live, Cambridge News.

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London Paramount Theme Park Could Open In 2022

The £3.5 billion Paramount theme park being built near Essex is still on course to open in 2022, the attraction's bosses have insisted!

London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), the group behind the theme park, has recently brought in a group of senior recruits in the hope that they will drive forward the plans for what's being called 'the UK's Disneyland'.

They are confident the plans will be approved when what's known as a development consent order (DCO) is submitted to the government in November 2017.

The huge theme park will be built in Dartford in Kent, just 16 miles from Brentwood, and will be the first and biggest of its kind in the UK. Featuring rides based on Paramount Pictures films such as Star Trek and Top Gun, it's estimated that it could attract up to 40,000 visitors per day and will be inspired by Paramount films as well as productions from the BBC and Aardman Animations.

Humphrey Percy, group CEO of the project's parent company Kuwaiti European Holdings, said he is confident that plans will be approved and affordable, saying: "We have the financial backing to take us all the way through that process."

The project hit the headlines in February when chief executive David Testa resigned after Chinese investment firm SinoFortone raised doubts over their £100million pledge, but Mr. Percy, said Testa's departure was "coincidental" and he has simply resigned to "go off and do other things".

Mr Percy said: "With any project of this length, people come and go. The stage we are going through now is absolutely focused on the development consent order process. We decided in the KEH Group that we needed a team that can achieve that.

"Moving myself from the group level into this role is a sign of our commitment and determination to make it all happen."

Mike Morrison has been hired as the new Chief Financial Officer and in the past has held senior positions at Morgan Stanley and WestLB AG. He also has a wealth of experience in property, business management and accounting.

Kevin Doyle is the man responsible for successfully submitting the DCO. Humphrey Percy said that Doyle has been part of delivering some of the largest entertainment projects across the globe, including EuroDisney and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

If the government approves the plans, building work can start as soon as 2019 with the park scheduled to open in 2022 – two years later than their original estimate.

The 872-acre theme park resort will be built on the Swanscombe Peninsula and will include rides, rollercoasters, a theatre, retail and food outlets, hotels and a nightclub.

Around 40,000 visitors are expected daily, so there'll also be space for 14,000 cars and ticket packages that will combine travel and entry costs to promote the use of public transport.

Mr. Percy said: "We are working with the railways to make sure there's sufficient capacity. We're also considering having a boat from central London or Greenwich which will all be part of the attraction."

What will be there?

Rides at the park will be inspired by Paramount Films as well as the BBC and Aardman Animations, but because there will no doubt be new films released between now and the opening date, there has been no final decision made on the specific rollercoasters that will be featured. It is currently unknown whether Paramount's sister brand Nickelodeon will have a presence at the park.

The park, when it does open, is said to include zones such as Adventure Isle, Land of Legends, Cartoon Circus, Starfleet Command, Action Square, Port Paramount and Entertainment City.

In addition to 50 rides and attractions, it will include a 2,000 seat theatre with regular West End quality shows, 11,000 sq m of exhibition space showcasing the best of British inventions and brands, along with over 11,000 restaurant covers in a variety of food outlets.

Mr Percy said: "We're working with world class theme park design companies to make sure that we have a real attraction. I'm talking about companies that have their headquarters in California and support the major film studios and attractions across the world."

Mr Percy declined to comment on the specific rollercoaster manufacturers involved.

How much will it cost to get in?

A full price ticket for one day's entry has a drafted price of £57, and price packages will be developed around that.

What will it mean for the area?

An estimated 33,000 jobs will be created, and around 55 per cent of these roles are expected to be filled by people in the "immediate area". Resort bosses believe the project will be a "catalyst for continued improvement and investment in Kent" and feel that many of their visitors will link in trips to local tourist attractions during their stay.

Mr Percy said: "We will make sure that this experience is for the whole family. It's going to be a very amazing and exciting thing for them."

What's next?

Before the plans can be submitted, a fifth and final statutory public consultation will be held later this year, where anyone can drop in and ask questions about the project as it moves forward, details of which will be released at londonparamount.info.

More Nick: First-Look At Nickelodeon's New Family Entertainment Centre At intu Lakeside!

Sources: Essex Live, Daily Mail Online.

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