Barnes & Thornburg served as lead real estate counsel to developer Togus Urban Renewal (Togus) in the negotiation of a high-profile long-term lease that lands Hollywood giant Paramount in the Garden State as a "studio partner" under the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act (the Act).
Paramount, a Skydance company, announced on Oct. 28, 2025, that it signed a 10-year lease at 1888 Studios, which is being developed by Togus in Bayonne, New Jersey. The move further establishes New Jersey as a leading destination for film and television production.
Paramount will occupy more than 285,000 square feet. The 58-acre campus is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2028 and will offer over 1.1 million square feet of production space across 23 sound stages. It is set to become the largest campus-style production facility in the Northeast and one of the largest in the United States.
1888 Studios is one of the first film-lease partners designated under the Act. By partnering with 1888, Paramount will be a "studio partner" under the Act and eligible to receive the maximum film tax credit of up to 40 percent for movies and TV shows filmed in the state.
The deal made headlines in The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline.com and other news sources.
The BT team was led by partners Daniel Harting and Steve Weizenecker.