Amazon Prime Video has acquired the 70-year-old British film studio Bray, where «The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power». The deal is undisclosed. In particular, Amazon will shoot the second season of the Russo brothers’ «The Citadel» series at Bray in September.
The American company already rents production facilities from the British Shepperton Studios and will shoot series and feature films for Prime Video at the site in Berkshire, about 40 km from the center of London. The acquisition includes approximately 4,980 m² across five stages, 7,190 m² of workshops, 3,660 m² of offices, 17,000 m² of miscellaneous facilities and 1,500 m² of parking.
The studio has already filmed the second season of «The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power», which is considered by many to be the most expensive television series of all time. Amazon has also used the studio for several other projects.
«With Bray as our creative home in the UK, we are eager to deepen our relationship with the British creative community, which is rich with world-class talent of all kinds. The acquisition of a studio with such a legendary heritage not only enables us to produce more films and television series in the UK, but also opens up a wealth of opportunities for the local community to work and learn at all levels of the production process,» says Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM.
Bray Studio was created by Hammer Film Productions in 1951 and sold 20 years later. Five years after the second sale in 2014, filming resumed. Bray chairman Frank Burke says that the studio has an important place in the history of British film production over the past 70 years:
«During our ownership, I, along with my family and team, have witnessed the renaissance of this iconic facility, and we are extremely proud of the role we have been able to play in restoring its popularity. We are now truly excited to hand over the studio to Amazon, a company we believe shares our commitment to quality and excellence and is ideally suited to preserve the studio’s character while enhancing first-class creative production spaces for generations of filmmakers. come».
Notably, this news comes six months after Amazon wrote to a UK parliamentary committee to warn the British government not to take for granted the country’s status as a production center that can compete with Hollywood. The streaming giant has said that American studios could move production at short notice if the United Kingdom becomes a less competitive location in the coming years.
Source: Deadline