James Gunn and Peter Safran are getting ready to make the Leavesden studio lot DC’s main production home.
Warner Bros. Discovery has just confirmed some big plans for their Leavesden studio lot in the UK. They’re planning a major expansion; 10 new sound stages and 400,000 new square feet of production and support space.
This means that Leavesden’s production capacity will shoot up an impressive 50%, with a total of 29 sound stages and the production space will go from 1.14 million square feet to 1.78 million square feet. That’s a lot of feet.
It’s great news for the UK economy and according to Deadline, the expansion will create 4000 new jobs, both direct and indirect. The plan is for the works on the expansion to start in 2024 and to be completed by 2027.
Barbie was filmed in Leavesden. Credit: Warner Bros.
The news comes days after it was announced that the sound stage that once hosted the production of Empire Strikes Back is closing down in California.
“Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden is globally-recognized for its exceptional soundstages and facilities,” said Simon Robinson, COO of WBD Studios. “With this planned expansion adding significant capacity and capabilities, it will be home to even more incredible storytelling for both film and television projects. We are proud to not only be growing our productions in Leavesden and making it the main hub for DC Studios, but also to be growing our economic and community contributions to the UK’s creative sector.”
The UK has been in high demand for productions in recent years. Barbie, this year’s highest grossing motion picture was shot in Leavesden and the plan is now to make it into DC Studios’, which is owned by Warner Bros, main hub for production.
James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-CEOs of DC Studios, are being consulted on how to make the space work as best as possible with DC Studios’ production demands. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is due to be released in December, was also shot in Leavesden.
The newest Aquaman film was also filmed at Leavesden. Credit: Warner Bros.
“The enormous strength of our creative industries sees films and television shows made in the UK reaching cinemas and front rooms across the world,” said Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer. “Warner Bros Discovery’s ambitious plan to grow its Leavesden studio is a huge vote of confidence in the UK – creating thousands of jobs and growing our economy – and means that British-made entertainment will continue to delight and entertain global audiences.”
It really is great news. The UK film industry has suffered tremendously due to the Hollywood strikes as most films and TV shows have ceased filming. As the studios and the WGA continue their talks, we can only hope a resolution to both the writers and actors’ strikes is found sooner rather than later.
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