Mansfield breaks ground on $750M studio complex with AI infrastructure
Construction begins in August on the first phase of Studio City USA, a 75-acre mixed-use development in Mansfield centered around an AI-enabled movie studio. The project represents a significant bet on North Texas as a film production hub, with an estimated price tag of $750 million across 10 phases over five years.
The first phase costs $50 million and includes four 18,000-square-foot sound stages, production offices, and a three-story, 42,000-square-foot office building. The third floor will house AI operations, post-production facilities, and data centers. Work is expected to finish in June 2027.
The full development will include eight sound stages, a hotel, 800 luxury condos and townhomes, parks, retail space exceeding 430,000 square feet, and a trade school for production assistants. About 20,000 square feet of mini data centers will be distributed across the sound stages.
Economic impact and incentives
The project will generate an estimated 2,681 permanent jobs and nearly 4,400 construction jobs for Mansfield. The city approved the original plans in 2023.
The Mansfield Economic Development Corp. sold 21.5 acres to Super Studios for $1 in February 2025. Once occupied, the development corporation will reimburse 100% of the developer's impact fees for the first phase.
Super Studios CFO Richard Judson said the company will pursue state film incentives. "We're trying to make the Dallas area a hub," he said.
Project background and leadership
Filmmaker Angel Gracia conceived the project. His film career began in the mid-1980s with music videos, including an MTV contest win for Madonna's "True Blue." He later directed commercials for Coca-Cola, Toyota, and Honda at a company founded by director Ridley Scott. In 2011, Gracia released the feature film "From Prada to Nada," a Latin adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility."
Gracia pitched the studio as a facility capable of producing big-budget shows for streaming services. "It's like a mini-city, which is something that is attractive when you're not in the Hollywood area," he said in 2023. "Filmmakers want to have things nearby they can quickly use."
ARCO Construction, architecture firm Gensler, investment bank Full Send Partners, and Dallas-based Lineage Legacy Partners are project partners.
Broader production expansion in North Texas
Studio City USA arrives as film production accelerates across the region. Taylor Sheridan, creator of Yellowstone, built SGS Studios at Fort Worth's AllianceTexas, the state's largest sound stage facility.
Four Sheridan shows approved for film incentives in the 2024-2025 fiscal year - Lioness, 1923, The Madison, and Landman - are expected to receive at least $67 million in cash rebates based on projected in-state spending exceeding $269 million.
For professionals managing large-scale development projects, understanding AI tools for project management can help coordinate complex multi-phase construction like Studio City USA. Additionally, AI applications in real estate and construction are becoming standard for site planning, resource allocation, and operational efficiency.
Your membership also unlocks:
