As the UK film industry grows bigger and bigger, capacity is needed to accomodate all the mega franchise movies, including Star Wars, that are coming into the country. Variety bring news that Pinewood, who own Shepperton Studios, are buying more land and expanding the lot next to Shepperton.
The Pinewood Group has bought a large chunk of land next to Shepperton Studios with a view to expanding the iconic complex as demand for stages and workshops in the U.K. continues to increase. The next phase of expanding the company’s cornerstone Pinewood Studios is also under way, with potentially a third phase of development to come. And to focus on growing its studio spaces, the group has gotten out of the film finance and production business, shuttering its Pinewood Pictures unit.
Pinewood Studios, where the James Bond films were shot, is set for a $276 million doubling in size. Shepperton Studios in west London, the arch-rival it bought out in 2001, was the British filming home for such movies as “Dr. Strangelove,” “Alien” and the just-wrapped “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” It occupies 600,000 square feet over 25 acres, and Pinewood has now acquired an adjacent lot four times that size.
“What we have been doing over the last 18 months is investing into land. We have bought 100 acres adjacent to the studio. We don’t have planning but will start that process in the next couple of months.”