French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman finalized an agreement to construct a sprawling theme park complex north of Paris, a project valued at roughly USD 7 billion (EGP 352.7 billion), according to the French government.
The plan calls for three separate resorts, one of which will draw its theming from Dragon Ball Z, the long-running Japanese manga and anime franchise. Officials say the development could generate more than 20,000 jobs once completed.
Macron characterized the scale of the undertaking as unmatched in France since the arrival of Disneyland Paris more than three decades ago.
The agreement emerged from a two-day state visit by the crown prince to France, during which the two leaders reportedly bonded over a mutual interest in animation and comics. Macron said he had spoken with the Saudi royal about his own enthusiasm for manga, framing the deal as part of a broader push to bring foreign capital into the French economy.
Dragon Ball Z, which debuted in Japan in the 1980s, has grown into one of the most recognizable entertainment franchises worldwide, particularly in the United States, spawning films, video games and a vast merchandising business.
The theme park announcement is the latest outcome of Macron’s “Choose France” initiative, an annual effort to court international investors. At the program’s summit in June, participating companies pledged a combined USD 108 billion (EGP 5.4 trillion) across 71 separate projects, according to figures released by the French government.
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