San Marcos, Texas film studio set to break ground in February

Texas' Hill Country Studios is scheduled to break ground in February, 2024. 

The new development, which will span 200 acres, will become Texas largest film and TV production hub.

Located 30 minutes from downtown Austin and 45 minutes from downtown San Antonio, the new development features over 800,000 square feet of studio facilities. 

The first phase of construction will begin on two 25,000-square-feet sound stages and a two-story 24,000-square-foot support building, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing.

When complete, the full studio will include 12 purpose-built sound stages, 4 workshops, a backlot featuring two concrete pads of two acres each, and 200,000 square feet of production office space. There are also plans for a recycling centre and a vendor village, featuring production service companies.

Following protests over the location of the studio and its impact on the nearby Edwards Aquifer, the developers worked with environmental groups such as the San Marcos River Foundation to mitigate the project's impact on local water sources.

Texas' production incentive, the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP), is a rebate of up to 22.5%, with 2.5% of the amount available as a grant on qualifying expenses. Of the total production, 60% must be completed in Texas with 55% of paid crew and 55% of paid cast members, including extras, being Texas residents.

Productions recently filmed in Texas include AMC's Fear the Walking Dead, Taylor Sheridan's 1883 miniseries for Paramount, and the Ben Affleck film Hypnotic (Blue Rider pictures).