France and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement for the latter to invest €6 billion ($7 billion USD) in a sprawling new theme park project dedicated to manga outside of Paris.
According to France 24, a memorandum of understanding for the "colossal" project was signed during a two-day visit to France by Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The project includes three theme parks about 18 miles outside of the City of Light near Cergy-Pontoise. At least one land is expected to be dedicated to Dragon Ball Z, a decades-old Japanese anime series with a massive following.
While no opening date has been announced, the parks are expected to be built and opened in stages, with construction taking several years.
Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), part of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, will lead the project.
Advisors to French President Emmanuel Macron said the project was born from a discussion between Macron and bin Salman about a shared passion for Japanese comics, specifically Dragon Ball Z.
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