New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is touting a deal to transform the long-shuttered Fort Monmouth army base into a Netflix film and television production studio with 12 soundstages and a backlot — a project that will cost the streaming service nearly $1 billion to build.
“This campus is no longer going to be a painful reminder of economic decline and disinvestment,” Murphy said at a press conference Friday. “Instead, Fort Monmouth now will stand as a symbol of renewed and revived hope.”
Murphy said the investment by Netflix will provide thousands of union jobs, constructing the massive studio and then working on its sound stages. It’s part of a film and TV production strategy that Murphy ushered by boosting tax credits to the industry and that has resulted in plans for new studios by Lionsgate Films in Newark and for the 1888 Studios lot in Bayonne.
The governor is contending with a string of bad news that's emerged in the weeks before state legislative elections next Tuesday, including an offshore wind developer announcing it would pull out of major projects off the Jersey Shore and an unflattering story about Murphy's use of a taxpayer-funded expense account for personal spending at MetLife Stadium.
The press conference at Fort Monmouth was held to highlight a fairly minor procedural step toward building the Netflix facility: signing meeting minutes for the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, which has proposed an amendment to its redevelopment plan for the site, including provisions for affordable housing. That amendment now goes to the two towns the project spans — Oceanport and Eatontown — for their feedback and public comment before returning to the revitalization authority for approval.
By the governor’s side were many local and legislative leaders, most notably State Sen. Vin Gopal, (D-Monmouth), who is facing a tough reelection challenge on Tuesday.
“My mom worked at that fort and I had a lot of memories going there as a kid,” Gopal said. “And then when that fort closed, nearly two decades ago, the devastating impact it had in the Monmouth County area was felt.”
Netflix told The Hollywood Reporter last year it is investing in Fort Monmouth, which has been vacant since shutting down in 2005, because the company needs an East Coast production facility close to a large pool of its talent. New Jersey also provides lucrative tax breaks to individual film and TV shows made in the state. For example, Netflix received millions of dollars in tax breaks for its zombie movie, “Army of the Dead.”
At Friday’s contract signing, Murphy seemed giddy with excitement.
“I'm reminded of the Claude Rains, Humphrey Bogart scene at the end of 'Casablanca,' where ‘Bogey’ says that great line: ‘I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’ And, boy, it feels that way to me,” Murphy said. “With the power of a platform like Netflix, the films and shows that will be filmed right here in New Jersey's backyard will reach viewers across and around the globe.”
But there isn’t universal support for the tax break program luring film and TV business to the state.
“Extensive research of similar programs across the country finds that film and TV tax credits do not generate the economic activity and job creation they promise,” reads a June 2023 report by the think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective. “Because most jobs in the industry are temporary and often filled by specialists from out-of-state, film and TV tax credits only deliver pennies on the dollar for state and local governments.”
An announcement from the governor’s office Friday included statements of support for the project from the mayors of Oceanport and Eatontown, the head of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association and legislators from both major parties representing the areas: Republican state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon and Democratic Assemblyman Raj Mukherji. Still, some homeowners near the site have voiced concerns over development close to their properties.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and representatives of several of the New Jersey unions whose workers will benefit from the deal thanked Murphy for making it happen.
“Our goal for this studio is to benefit everybody in the area and to produce world class high-quality TV series and films,” Sarandos said. “I hope one day you will see ‘filmed in New Jersey’ on your favorite Netflix show or film.”
