Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that the UK government will provide "full backing" to get Sunderland's flagship Crown Works Studios project back on track.
Starmer’s comments came after Cain International, a key backer for the planned £450m Crown Works Studios, pulled out of the North East England project earlier this summer.
The remaining backer, Fulwell Entertainment, has said it remained committed to working with Sunderland City Council to find "appropriate private funding" to allow the development to continue.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week, Starmer said: "Let me be clear on this because I know it really matters – we want to see this landmark project come to fruition. It is such a good project, good for jobs, good for growth.
"We announced £25m of funding for the studios in the Autumn Statement to support filmmaking and economic growth, and we are working with the mayor [of the North East, Kim McGuinness] very closely because we need to get private investors to get in behind this.
"I am determined that we will do everything we can to see this project come to fruition. It is really important locally, it is a huge thing, and we need to give it our full backing."
The studio was given the go-ahead last year. Its backers say it will create 8,000 jobs and provide 19 sound stages on a 1,600,000ft2 site.
Demand for studio space has cooled over the past two years amid a slowdown in major productions shooting in the UK compared to the post-pandemic filming boom.
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy recently announced plans to scrap a review of the BBC's funding model that was set up by the previous government and disband its expert panel. Discover more here.
.jpg)
Expanded Future Tech to showcase the very best in innovation, technology and talent
After a successful debut in 2025, Future Tech returns to Hall 14 of the RAI this year, with more features, more innovation and more of the technologies shaping the next era of media and entertainment.
.jpg)
UK TV industry advocates out-of-hours guidelines
The UK television industry has backed new guidelines to minimise out-of-hours contact to help improve work-life balance in the sector.
.jpg)
EU approves Paramount's WBD acquisition with conditions
The European Commission has approved Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110bn acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Isabel Davis to become Director of BFI Filmmaking Funds
The British Film Institute (BFI) has named Isabel Davis as Director of its BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Funds.
Netflix uses GenAI on 300 titles in 2026
Netflix has revealed that nearly 300 titles on its platform have used generative AI, from early concept stages and pre-visualisation through to post-production and release.
 (1).png)
