De Niro Taps Starchitect To Design $400M Astoria Film Studio

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Actor Robert De Niro's proposed $400 million film studio in Astoria will be designed by the Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels.

Ingels on Monday unveiled his design for the 650,000-square-foot film studio on a lot that was previously home to a Steinway & Sons piano storage facility.

The Bjarke Ingels Group, or BIG, is behind the tetrahedron-shaped rental building Via 57 West along the West Side Highway and the upcoming tower at 2 World Trade Center.

"It has been incredible to work with such an iconic cast of collaborators from all aspects of visual media to imagine the future of film production in New York City," Ingels said in a statement.

"Due to the unique space conditions of working on an urban site, we were challenged by Wildflower to distill all the physical, logistical, technical and experiential aspects of film production into a one of a kind vertical village for film," he added.

De Niro, his real estate broker son and film producer Jane Rosenthal are partnering with developer Wildflower Ltd. on the studio, envisioned as a hub for creating film, television, augmented reality and virtual reality projects.

"This studio is a testament to the strength and future of the New York film and television production industry," De Niro said.

Construction could begin as early as next year — but first, the City Council has to review land-use applications for height amendments and community waterfront access.

Wildflower representatives have been meeting with local officials for the last several months, according to a press release.