For decades, the St. Louis metro area has played supporting roles in Hollywood productions, doubling for other cities or hosting select location shoots. But developer Chris Breakwell is betting the region is ready for something more permanent.

Breakwell’s planned Hollywood River Studios in Wood River, Illinois, aims to turn the area into a year-round production hub, with six soundstages and facilities designed for projects ranging from studio features to independent films. If completed, it would become the largest film production facility in Illinois outside Chicago.

The project has already drawn high-profile support. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker welcomed the studio publicly in July, pointing to the state’s broader push to attract filmmakers and grow production jobs. That enthusiasm comes as Illinois’ film sector continues to rebound, with production spending reaching $703 million in 2025 and supporting an estimated 18,100 jobs.

Hollywood River Studios is expected to create more than 1,000 permanent jobs, with each production potentially bringing hundreds more temporary positions, along with work for local vendors, suppliers and construction crews.

Breakwell is not new to the studio business. After a career in banking, he converted a former Pittsburgh steel mill into 31st Street Studios, a facility that hosted more than 30 productions, including Unstoppable, The Dark Knight Rises and Jack Reacher. Now he is looking to bring that same model to Wood River.

The St. Louis area has long had ties to film, from The Hoodlum Priest in 1961 to Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Escape from New York, Up in the Air and more recent productions in Alton. But Hollywood River Studios would mark a different kind of milestone: not just a place where Hollywood occasionally visits, but a place where productions can set up shop.