Ryan Reynolds is opening a massive film and production hub in Canada
It seems like Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds is staying true to his Canadian roots by opening a massive production hub near Toronto soon.
Reynolds and George Dewey co-founded and lead the production and advertising company Maximum Effort, which is part of the ownership group set to open an enormous studio in Ontario.
The 1.2-million-square-foot space will be built in Markham and is one of the first projects for a $1.5 billion private-equity fund that focuses on real estate, sports, media and venture capital.
Construction is slated to begin shortly on the studio, which developers say will be the largest film and TV production hub in Canada. Markham-based real-estate development firm Watford Group is leading the investment raise.
Oh hello, Ontario https://t.co/WnTNJcGEGQ
— Maximum Effort (@MaximumEffort) February 22, 2023
As of yet, there’s no projected date for the studio’s completion, but the hub will be nestled on the site that was originally intended for a 400,000-square-foot development called “First Studio City.”
The studio was targeted to open up in 2020, although the project never came to fruition, according to Variety.
“Maximum Effort has grown in ways and directions that we’ve never imagined,” Reynolds said in a statement. “To be launching a fund and building a 1.2 million-square-foot studio facility in Ontario is both mind-boggling and humbling. Regardless, I’m excited to expand our storytelling capabilities in new directions and to bring more production work to Ontario.”
Maximum Effort has worked on several films since its inception, including Deadpool 2, Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Spirited, and is currently working on movies IF and Deadpool 3.
The location of the studio hub might not come as a surprise to some because the Deadpool star has been spotted on multiple occasions in Toronto as of late.
Earlier this month, Reynolds surprised journalism students at Seneca College by popping into one of their classes unannounced and hitting up Italian joint Il Postino in Unionville.
Follow Channels and Categories