Media and entertainment giant Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of CNN and HBO, announced on September 21 that Warner Bros Studios Leavesden (WBSL) in the UK is planning an expansion. Ten new sound stages and an additional 4,00,000 square feet of production and support space will be built. This is expected to give a much-needed boost to the British economy.
WBSL will also become a primary production hub for DC Studios. Known for its iconic superhero franchises including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, DC is set to relocate its primary production hub to Watford, northwest of London, as part of Warner Bros Discovery's (WBD) ambitious expansion plan.
The WBSL expansion is expected to drive the creation of 4,000 new "direct or indirect" jobs across the United Kingdom while contributing over 200 million pounds to the UK economy, WBD said. This substantial boost is expected to lift the total value of film and television production at Leavesden to over 600 million pounds annually.
Work on the project will start in the second quarter of 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2027, Warner Bros said in a release.
The media company unveiled its visionary strategy to transform Warner Bros Studios Leavesden into the epicentre of DC Studios' productions.
Image: ShutterstockJames Gunn and Peter Safran, DC Studios Co-Chairmen and CEOs, will consult with the expansion team to ensure that their ideas are incorporated into the new studio and production facilities, the release said.
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The expansion plan has been developed in close consultation with Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council with careful consideration given to prioritising sustainability, Warner Bros pointed out.
The site of Warner Bros Studios Leavesden has been in existence for over eight decades, but it was only in 1994 that the James Bond production team discovered the site. Subsequently, GoldenEye became the first film to be shot here.
In due course, the factory was converted into a film production facility. Over the years, the Harry Potter film franchise, Barbie, The Batman, Wonder Woman 1984, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and House of Dragon, among others, have been filmed at the studio.
