Amazon Prime Video has taken another big leap into the UK film and TV industry by acquiring the 70-year-old studios where Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is filmed.
Financials were not disclosed on the deal for Bray Film Studios, with the first Amazon production rolling cameras there set to be the second season of the Russo Brothers’ Citadel series in September. Amazon MGM Studios was initially listed as the Bray acquirer, before being switched to Prime Video.
Amazon, which already leases production facilities at the UK’s Shepperton Studios, will make TV series and feature films for streamer Prime Video from the site in Berkshire – around 26 miles away from Central London. The acquisition includes approximately 53,600 square feet of sound stage space across five stages, 77,400 square feet of workshops, 39,400 square feet of office, 182,900 square feet of backlot, and 156,000 square feet of parking space.
Prime Video made the second season of The Rings of Power from Bray, which is widely considered the most expensive TV show of all time. Other projects to have filmed recently at the studio include Rocketman, Dracula and The King’s Man.
“With Bray as our creative home in the UK, we are committed to deepening our relationships with the UK creative community, which is rich with world-class storytellers and creative talent of all kinds,” said Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “The acquisition of a studio with such a storied heritage not only empowers us to produce more film and television in the UK, but also unveils a wealth of opportunities in the local community with respect to jobs and skills training at all levels of the production process.”
Bray is more than 70 years old and was formed by Hammer Film Productions in 1951 before being sold 20 years later. It was sold once again in 2014 and restarted filming five years later, subsequently landing The Rings of Power. Further back, it hosted the likes of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein and Terence Fisher’s Dracula.
Bray Chair Frank Burke said the studio has had “an important place in the history of British filmmaking” for the past 70 years. “During our period of ownership, I, together with my family and team have witnessed the rebirth of this iconic facility and we are extremely proud of the part we have been able to play in bringing it to renewed prominence. We are now genuinely excited to be handing the studios over to Amazon, who we believe share our commitment to quality and excellence and are perfectly suited to preserving the character of the studio while enhancing the first-class creative production spaces for generations of film makers to come.”
Bray is only the second UK site to be owned by a U.S. studio alongside Warner Bros. Discovery’s Leaveseden. The move comes more than two years after Amazon signed a multimillion pound deal with Pinewood‘s Shepperton Studios to lease facilities there for the next decade, therefore placing it next door to Netflix, which also has studio space on the site. Disney also leases space at Shinfield Studios.
Notably, the news comes six months after Amazon used a written submission to a parliamentary committee to warn the British government not to take for granted the country’s status as a production hub that can rival Hollywood. The streaming giant had said that U.S. studios could shift shoots at “short notice” were the UK to become a less competitive location over the coming years.
A bunfight for UK studio space has broken out of late, taking advantage of the local tax credit and wealth of talent now that the U.S. strikes and worst Covid-19 impacts have passed. James Corden’s Fulwell 73 is opening a £450M ($578M) film and TV studio in the north east of England, while other sites have sprung up in London, Scotland and Manchester. A James Cameron-backed $950M studio in Buckinghamshire was recently refused planning permission.