Netflix invests millions to make more shows in Britain: Streaming firm takes over 435,000 sq ft of historic Shepperton Studios where Alien and Gladiator movies were shot
- Netflix will rent 14 spaces from Pinewood Group which has 16 studios there
- Comes as Netflix boosts investments into its UK films and programming
- It has been hailed as a major development for the UK’s entertainment space
Streaming service Netflix has today announced a major UK expansion to open a production hub at the world-famous Shepperton Studios.
The entertainment giant has pledged to take over 435,000sq ft at the site near Heathrow, which Pinewood Group has just ploughed a cool £500 million into.
Pinewood will create 16 new sound stages at the site where classics such as Alien and Gladiator were shot, 14 of which will be taken up by Netflix.
The move is being hailed as a major development for the UK’s entertainment space, with Netflix also having workshops and offices at the venue which also oversaw the production of Mamma Mia!
Shepperton Studios (pictured above) has had £500 million ploughed into it following a new development plan being granted
Netflix (stock image above) has been investing heavily in their UK content over the past couple of years
Netflix first started investing into original UK content in 2015 and is now hailed for shows such as Black Mirror, Sex Education and period drama The Crown.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos said that Shepperton is a site that has been synonymous with world class films for over a century.
‘This investment will ensure that British creators and producers have first rate production facilities and a world stage for their work.’
The new wave of shows are set to kick off production in October. The first will be an action-fantasy movie called The Old Guard and is set to feature Charlize Theron.
Since opening in the 1930s, the studios (pictured) have hosted films including Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars and the Harry Potter franchise
Pinewood Group, which owns Shepperton Studios, pledged the plans would create 2,000 permanent jobs and contribute £141million a year to the UK economy when it launched the plans last year
Pinewood will let the studios to Netflix, with the group continuing its UK expansion from Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
Paul Golding, Pinewood’s Group Chairman said the deal gives the firm ‘confidence’ in the £500 million Shepperton expansion
He added that the expansion ‘will help secure the ongoing success of the UK film and TV industry’.
A scene from Oliver! which was filmed at Shepperton Studios in 1967. Pictured is actor Jack Wild, who played the Artful Dodger, on a bicycle
Others such as film director Ridley Scott said the site ‘is a wonderful historic place… and one of the most efficient I can think of in the world today’.
Netflix currently has around 10 million subscribers in the UK but is headquartered in California.
The company had previously warned of limited studio availability in the US and is now among many other tech giants looking to find their home in the UK.
The space the firm is taking up in the UK is around the same size as the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush.
Earlier this year villagers lost a planning battle against Shepperton Studios.
More than 130 people objected to the plans, claiming the expansion would increase traffic and impact on ‘green belt’ land.
But the planning committee at Spelthorne Borough Council approved the expansion – set to quadruple the plot – with seven votes to six during a meeting in February.
Following the vote, Mr Golding said: ‘We are encouraged by this outcome and believe it marks an important step-forward in the strength of Shepperton Studios.’
Shepperton Studios opened in 1930 and has produced top Hollywood thrillers including Lawrence of Arabia, Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
The film industry is worth up to £5billion a year to the UK economy, but residents are objecting to the proposals on the grounds of noise and air pollution, as well as against building on greenbelt land.