Where Studio Worlds Begin
Merlins was born from a simple question:
What happens to great worlds after the screen goes dark?
Films live for a moment in cinemas, then forever in memory.
But what if they could live again — in cities, in culture, in physical space?
Not as exhibits.
As experiences.
Not as replicas.
As living worlds.
The Florence Origin
That question became real in Florence, Italy.
Working alongside our creative partners in Florence, Merlins developed and produced an immersive exhibition inspired by the legendary film Cinema Paradiso — a project that transformed cinema itself into a walk-through emotional journey.
As the experience took shape, a larger realization emerged.
If Cinema Paradiso could become an immersive world…
what about the worlds that have shaped generations?
What about epic sagas?
Future visions?
Heroic myths?
Entire studio libraries?
We asked the question.
Could studio films become immersive worlds?
The answer from our partners was immediate:
Yes. Absolutely.
Every Film Is a World Waiting to Be Entered
Every film that has lived on screen carries more than a story.
It carries:
atmosphere.
architecture.
philosophy.
ritual.
emotion.
identity.
These are not films.
These are worlds.
Worlds that can become places.
Worlds that can be walked through.
Worlds that can be felt.
Worlds that can gather filmmakers, fans, artists, technologists, and cities into a single living experience.
Merlins exists to help studios unlock that next life.
The Role of Merlins
Merlins is not an IP owner.
Merlins is a creative bridge.
We work alongside the creative forces of any studio — filmmakers, storytellers, designers, archivists, and technologists — to translate cinematic worlds into real-world journeys.
From screen into reality.
From story into living experience.
We bring those worlds out of theaters and into streets, museums, arenas, historic spaces, and global touring environments.
This is our philosophy.
This is Screen to Streets.
From NBC to Now
Merlins began in 1998 with NBC, built on the idea that stories could live beyond broadcast.
Today, that same philosophy guides everything we build.
Only now, the tools are richer.
The worlds are larger.
And the opportunity to merge cinema, culture, and immersive design has never been greater.
What started as an experiment has become a platform.
A studio collaboration model.
A world-building practice.
A living development room.
The Journal as an Open Chronicle
Every Studio World Merlins explores is not just an outcome.
It is a journey.
Each project we pursue is envisioned as a documented creative expedition — from the first idea, to design, to collaboration, to construction, to public experience.
Nothing hidden.
Nothing manufactured.
A living chronicle of how worlds are awakened.
So filmmakers, fans, partners, and future creators can not only experience the worlds…
…but witness how they are brought to life.
What Comes Next
The Studio Worlds you see forming are not announcements.
They are invitations.
To imagine what cinema can become.
To explore how film libraries can evolve.
To consider how studio universes can move through cities, cultures, and generations.
Because great studios create worlds.
Merlins exists to awaken them.
Because we believe magic is real.