Initial plans to build the Dragon International Studios (affectionately known as 'Valleywood') were submitted to Rhondda Cynon Taff county council on 30th August 2001. The company responsible, Dragon International Studios Ltd, was chaired by film director Richard Attenborough. The project aimed to 'encompass film and television studios, a media centre, screen academy and film theme park' and to be open by 2004. However, development - on the site of an old coal mine - was severely hampered by numerous issues including sewerage plans, bad weather and door mice.
In 2008, the Dragon International Studios company and the co-owners, Westair Properties Ltd, both went into administration before work on the site was completed. A large-budged film called 'Ironclad' was filmed there and released in 2011, followed by 'big budget American tv series' Will - about William Shakespeare, in 2016 but since then the four large film studios have mostly been used as storage.
Sources: all BBC news articles published on 30th August 2001; 6th December 2002; 28th January 2006; 21st March 2008; 3rd March 2011 and Wales Online article, 15th January 2018.