Prime Video is acquiring the legendary Bray Film Studios located in Water Oakley, Berkshire, 26 miles outside central London, with plans to produce both new and continuing TV series and feature films on the site.
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.
Bray has previously supported Amazon MGM Studios productions with sound stages, offices, and production facilities, starting in January 2022, when it became the production home for the second season of the global hit Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
“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.”
“For 70 plus years, Bray Studios has held an important place in the history of British film making”, said Frank Burke, Chairman of Bray Film Studios Ltd, the previous owner of the site. “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.”
“From Rocketman to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for 70 years Bray Studios has brought us some of cinema’s most iconic moments. We are determined to support the huge potential for economic growth in our creative industries. We want to do all we can to help make sure career opportunities in these exciting sectors are available for people from all backgrounds right across the UK,” said Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy. “This vote of confidence by Amazon MGM Studios will ensure that one of our leading film studios continues to play a crucial role in our first-class screen industries. It will deliver a major investment in skills and infrastructure to enhance our status as Europe’s top filmmaking destination.”
The first Amazon MGM Studios production to be located at Bray Film Studios following the acquisition will be the second season of the Russo Brothers’ spy series Citadel, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, which is scheduled to begin filming in September 2024.
Amazon Prime Video’s purchase of the iconic Bray Film Studios is in addition to the company’s significant presence at the UK’s Shepperton Studios, where it has a long-term contract for exclusive use of nine new state-of-the-art sound stages, workshops and office accommodation, totalling approximately 450,000 square feet. It also echoes the company’s headquarter presence at another historic studio: The Culver Studios in Culver City, California, home to such legendary productions from Hollywood’s Golden Age as King Kong (1933), Gone With the Wind, A Star Is Born (1937), Citizen Kane, and Rebecca, and later E.T., Beetlejuice, Bugsy, The Matrix, Legally Blonde, Kill Bill, Argo, Night at the Museum, I Am Legend and Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. It also served as the home for such television classics as The Andy Griffith Show, Lassie, Hogan’s Heroes, Batman and more recently Scrubs, Arrested Development, Cougar Town, Silicon Valley and Big Little Lies.
