U.S.-Based Shadowbox To Oversee Jordan's Olivewood Studios Under New Partnership

Yahoo

28-05-2025

EXCLUSIVE: Shadowbox has partnered with Jordan's Olivewood Studios and will manage the film studio's operations.
Shadowbox Studios owns the Shadowbox Atlanta site and the sizeable Shinfield Studios facility in the UK. Under new COO Mike Mosallam it is branching out further and offering its expertise to third parties – helping them to either establish or operate their studio complexes.
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Olivewood was completed in 2023 and is the first purpose-built complex of its kind in Jordan. Located in the capital city of Amman, it has two soundstages and a backlot.
With its world heritage sites such as Petra and desert landscapes, which include Wadi Rum, Jordan has established itself as a key MENA shooting destination over the past two decades with productions touching down in the territory including Denis Villeneuve's Dune and Dune 2, JJ Abrams' Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker, and Guy Richie's Aladdin.
The country's film production history stretches back to the early 1960s when it hosted the shoot of Lawrence of Arabia.
Instability in the region since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Southern Israel, however, has dented its appeal to international production. Jordan's Royal Film Commission was out in force in Cannes on a drive to reboot its international locations business.
It announced the country was raising its cash rebate for film and TV production to 45% and also told Deadline that a big incoming international production was on the horizon.
The Shadowbox team was also in Cannes, talking up the support services it is offering studios and production, which range from planning services for producers to full studio management.
'Jordan has shown the world its incredible locations in films from Dune and Aladdin to The Martian and Star Wars, and through our exciting partnership with Shadowbox we are thrilled to expand our worldwide reach to international filmmakers,' said Raja Gargour, Chairman of Olivewood Studios in Amman.
Jumana Sharbin, the General Manager of Olivewood, added: 'Bringing Shadowbox's global expertise to Olivewood marks a pivotal step in our growth. Their operational strength and industry insight will be key as we scale up and deliver world-class productions in Jordan.'
Mosallam joined Shadowbox earlier this year after stints at Apple TV+ and Netflix. He has put together a new leadership team and one priority was ramping up work with other studios such as Olivewood.
'After visiting Jordan late last year, my team and I were astonished by the breadth of available landscapes and the production service infrastructure already in place at Olivewood,' he said. 'Now with the benefit of sound stages, the Kingdom is well-positioned to house and host domestic and international productions of any size.'
Melanie Goodfellow contributed to this article.
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