Pinewood Atlanta Studios, Home to ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ Rebrands as Trilith

Pinewood Atlanta Studios, production home for Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” is rebranding itself as Trilith Studios as part of a 935-acre master development.

The name change was announced Wednesday, seven months after the owners of Pinewood Atlanta unveiled plans for a 220,000 square-foot expansion due to be completed in the spring of 2022. The six-year-old facility, located south of Atlanta, currently occupies 700 acres and houses more than 50 production-related businesses. Its first movie production was “Ant-Man” and it was also home to “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”

The owners said the name Trilith is emblematic of the three pillars of creativity of storytelling, purpose-built places and emerging technology — and pays home to its British roots. The three-stone structures at the Stonehenge monument near Salisbury in the U.K. are known as trilithons or triliths.

“A trilith is an appropriate symbol for our new identity as it represents a nod to our U.K. history while serving as a metaphor for the three pillars of our vision,” said Frank Patterson, president and CEO of Trilith Studios LLC. “The new Trilith Studios brand signals to the entertainment industry our expansion from a facilities business to an ecosystem intentionally built for the creative industries.”

The U.K-based Pinewood Group Limited recently sold its stake in Pinewood Atlanta to its Atlanta-based partners.

Patterson told Variety that in the days following the March 12 expansion announcement, Pinewood Atlanta closed down production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Managers and staff launched extensive efforts to reopen as quickly and safely as possible.

“We asked ourselves how we could became the safest production facility possible and so we became experts in microbial reduction,” he noted. “Our shops had to be the absolute safest. We were able to reopen in June.”

The master development includes Trilith Studios, vendor businesses, custom homes and micro-villages, chef-driven restaurants and schools — all aimed at servicing the film and creative industries. In January, the studio began a series of strategic investments in content and technology companies with initial investments in Believe Entertainment Group, best known for Academy Award-winning animated short “Dear Basketball,” and Sutikki, a kids entertainment company known for the preschool TV series “Moon and Me.”

Construction on the walkable community began two years ago with plans to house 5,000 residents in 1,400 homes, including 600 multi-family homes. It’s opened Barleygarden Kitchen & Craft Bar, which is the first of 12 innovative food concepts that will complement the shops to be located in Town Centre, a 270,000 square feet retail development.

“We are excited about making a spectacular gathering place where professionals in the creative industries – and anyone who appreciates storytelling and innovation – will feel inspired and at home,” said Rob Parker, president of Trilith Development LLC.

The residential neighborhoods at Trilith comprise the largest geothermal community in the United States, with 51% of the development dedicated to green space, and is currently home to more than 1,000 trees. The town is home to the Piedmont Wellness Center, a K-12 micro school with a story arts focus and learner-driven technology called The Forest School, and the University of Georgia’s MFA screenwriting program.

The Georgia Film Academy has its largest campus at Trilith that includes a soundstage, workshops, post facilities and classrooms. In 2021, Parker and development partners plan to build a 180-room boutique hotel, a 120-room select service hotel, a nine-screen luxury cinema and an 18,000 square foot sound stage to host industry and arts-related events in the town.