Georgia has gotten big into movie making, and production sites are popping up. But none are as big as what a company that goes by two names, Moon River Studios and FONU2, says it will do in Effingham County near Savannah.

Like any great drama, there are risks and rewards.

Moon River says it will create lots of jobs and turn moving-making into a production line operation not unlike making cars.

A local development authority gave the company a sweetheart lease on more than 1,500 acres of public land, tax free and with no rent for the first two years.

But the project is far behind schedule. Construction of the first building has yet to begin, and Moon River doesn’t have enough money to keep operating for long, much less to build studios.

A happy ending is far from certain.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Bartender Victoria Kuchenoff laughs with a regular customer, Britt Thomason, at Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux at The Battery in Atlanta on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC