Overview
Henderson Valley may soon strip Wellington of its film capital title as an extravagant new film and television studio moves into the neighbourhood.
As reported by the NZHerald, Whoa! Studios is the brainchild of technology entrepreneur David Sutherland— a gentleman who has previously managed startups and dabbled in philanthropy initiatives.
The space is tipped as a "family entertainment venue" and comes complete with state-of-the-art studio facilities that will be a melting pot for new films. A movie called Custard's World is currently in the pre-production, with a script courtesy of BAFTA award-winning script writer Bob Baker (Wallace & Gromit) and assistance from Muppet and Sesame Street performer Peter Linz.
As Whoa! opens this December, the curtain will also rise on the premiere showing of the Custard's World – Live!, a live pantomime-style show based on characters and story-lines from the film. Further live shows will continue to be based on the movie property in early production.
The venue will also act as something of a theme park, feature an urban park, including an inflatable obstacle course, water slide and a crochet play net made by Japanese textile artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. It will be rounded off with a new restaurant titled The Grounds, a five-star dining experience headed by Ben Bayly of The Grove, Baduzzi and MKR fame.
For more information stay tuned to the Whoa! Studios Facebook page.
