Warner Bros. Announce Deal to Buy Leavesden Studios

Warner Bros. are poised to acquire Leavesden Studios and plan to give the studio a £100 million face-lift.

Based just north of Watford, Leavesden Studios has shared a strong relationship with the studio having hosted production on their Harry Potter franchise

If the deal is successful WB would be the first major Hollywood studio to have a base within Europe since MGM bought Elstree Studios in the 1940s, who left thereafter in the 1970s.

The purchase would also ensure the security of hundreds of jobs at Leavesden, as well as the site's long-term future once the final Harry Potter production is completed.

Warner Bros. plan to use the site as a home for film editing, animatronics and other special effects, as well as refurbishing and extending the production facilities and expanding the external filming and production areas.

Another plan by WB for Leavesden would be introduce regular guided tours of the studios for members of the public.

A WB spokesman stated: "As well as preserving film sets, this will also celebrate the exceptional creativity and craftsmanship of the creators of these films and the UK film industry as a whole."

"We hold Leavesden Studios in the highest esteem as the home of our much-loved Harry Potter films.

"This proposal is central to our long-term plans to invest in the local production community, to create local and industry employment opportunities, and to continue the legacy of exceptional British filmmaking at Leavesden and across the UK."

Leavesden Studios, which has also seen production on The Dark Knight, GoldenEye, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and most recently Sherlock Holmes, currently holds 500,000 square feet of stages, production offices and ancillary buildings, along with an 80-acre backlot.

(Source Evening Standard)