With film production ramping up across the UK and more and more mega franchises rising every day it’s no surprise that Pinewood Studios are looking to expand their operations and buy more land in the London area.
The Guardian takes a look at the developing situation, which can only be positive for the British film industry.
Pinewood, a cornerstone of the UK’s film and TV production sector, is looking at a 20-acre site in Dagenham after the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, announced plans for a studio in the east of the capital. The “Made in Dagenham” move comes amid growing evidence of a space squeeze in the film industry, with at least two recent big-budget releases – last year’s Alien and Blade Runner sequels – moving production to other countries because there was no room in the UK.
Pinewood can film two blockbusters at a time at its studio on the outskirts of west London and one at a nearby sister site in Shepperton. It is midway through a £200m expansion to double its size to keep pace with demand.
The UK’s popularity as a filming base is growing so fast – the amount spent on film and TV production rose 11% last year to a record £2.8bn – that Pinewood is understood to have inquired about developing and running the new Dagenham studio.
