EUE/Screen Gems Studios’ $15 million “Dream Stage 10” is on schedule to open by May 22, studio COO Chris Cooney said recently.

Interest in the technologically sophisticated film and television production stage might translate into an immediate return on the studio’s investment, with two “large features” considering filming there.

“We are thrilled but not surprised that two studio productions are already considering Dream Stage 10 as the location for their films. Any studio would realize significant benefits from working with us,” Cooney said in a prepared statement.

Resources offered by Dream Stage 10 include a 37,500-square foot, column-free stage and a water tank more than 10 feet deep. The studio has an established infrastructure that includes the third largest crew base in the U.S.

Dream Stage 10 will be the third largest film and television production stage in the U.S. It is the tenth stage on EUE/Screen Gems Studios’ 50-acre lot off  North 23rd Street in Wilmington.

Studio officials said the sheer size of the water tank “will accommodate large-scale blockbuster films.” The 186,000-gallon indoor special effects water tank will provide versatility for producers. they added.

The underwater tank will include a five-foot removable steel wall that can be built on the stage floor above and around the circumference of the tank, making it 60 feet by 60 feet, with a depth of 10 feet 6 inches. In the 10-foot area around the tank between the tank and the wall, the depth will be 4 feet, 6 inches deep. The wall will be able to support a dolly, lights and a crane, and provide better angles to shoot water to what appears into infinity against a green screen.

“We consulted with leading stage and acoustical engineers as well as producers, directors, cinematographers and our local crew for Dream Stage 10’s design,” EUE/Screen Gems Executive Vice President Bill Vassar said in a prepared statement.

“As a result, Dream Stage 10 was built to the specifications of the people who create visual magic. From the central location near production offices, the access to the wardrobe facilities, construction shops and our extensive lighting and grip facility, Dream Stage 10 was built to maximize the vast production resources of EUE/Screen Gems Studios,” Vassar said.

Ground was broken on the Dream Stage 10 project in September 2008. The project is on time and on budget, Vassar said. 

For more information about the new production facility and see images of its construction, go to: www.stage10nc.com