OAN’s Stephanie Stahl
6:24 PM – Friday, September 22, 2023
Warner Bros Discovery announced its plans to considerably expand its Leavesden studio lot, creating 4,000 “direct or indirect” jobs across Britain.
The growth surge is also expected to increase the studios’ contribution to the United Kingdom economy by more than £200 million.
The ambitious plans include the creation of 10 new sound stages and 400,000 additional square feet of production and support space, according to a press release.
The expansion will increase the production capacity in Leavesden by more than 50%.
“Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden is globally-recognized for its exceptional soundstages and facilities,” Simon Robinson, COO of WBD Studios declared.
“With this planned expansion adding significant capacity and capabilities, it will be home to even more incredible storytelling for both film and television projects. We are proud to not only be growing our productions in Leavesden and making it the main hub for DC Studios, but also to be growing our economic and community contributions to the UK’s creative sector.”
The Leavesden studio lot has been home to Barbie, the Harry Potter series, HBO’s House of the Dragon and the upcoming Aquaman and the Last Kingdom.
Warner Bros plans for expansion comes amidst the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, the first joint writers’ and actors’ strikes in 63 years.
The strike has delayed major Warner Bros projects, like the big-budget sequel of Dune.
Warner Bros Discovery had previously provided financial guidance for 2023 assuming the strikes would be resolved by early September.
The company now expects adjusted earnings to be reduced by around $300 million to $500 million for the full year and be in the range of $10.5 billion to $11 billion.
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