The developer of a theme park touted as a British rival to Disneyland has struck a deal with the Hollywood studio behind Mission: Impossible and Star Trek.
It has also turned to the theme park troubleshooter Pierre-Yves Gerbeau to get its £5bn project built.
Gerbeau made his name nearly 20 years ago when he was hired to save the struggling Millennium Dome project.
Gerbeau has been appointed as chief executive of the company building the 535-acre theme park on the Swanscombe peninsula jutting into the Thames in Kent.
The Frenchman, who has also worked at Euro Disney and as chief executive of the company behind the Xscape indoor ski centres, starts his role as Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures signs a new deal for attractions based on its movies to be built at the London Resort.
Paramount, which makes films including Transformers and A Quiet Place, has re-signed after pulling out of the project two years ago.
The resort, aimed at rivalling Disneyland Paris, Disney World and Universal Studios, was scheduled to open this year but a series of delays has pushed back the proposed opening date to 2024. Its developers say it will be the size of 136 Wembley Stadiums, offer 3,500 hotel rooms and attract 50,000 visitors a day. Fifty rides and attractions based on popular film and TV shows have been planned.
“The new partnership with Paramount is fantastic news,” said Gerbeau. “Now the best of Hollywood will be joining the best of British helping to create a world-class destination to rival all others. Central to that is strategy is to partner with the best brands from across TV, film, music and entertainment.”
Paramount, which originally lent its name to the resort when plans were announced in 2012, joins partners including ITV and the BBC signing deals to allow rides and attractions to be developed from shows such as Thunderbirds, Doctor Who and Top Gear. It emerged this year that Aardman Animations, the company behind Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, had pulled out of a similar licensing deal with the resort.
Kevin Suh, president of themed entertainment and consumer products at Paramount, said: “The London Resort represents a truly global resort opportunity and we’re delighted to be playing our part in bringing iconic movies to life in truly immersive experiences and rides.”
The park is financed by Kuwait’s Al-Humaidi family, who own Ebbsfleet United, and the development company is chaired by the former transport minister Steve Norris.
