Amazon Prime Video has acquired Bray Film Studios, the historic U.K. studio complex where The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power filmed its second season.
Amazon did not reveal how much it paid for the facility, which includes nearly 54,000 square feet of production space across five stages.
Amazon MGM Studios plans to produce both new and returning content at the studio site.
“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 just the second UK production site to be owned and operate by a U.S. studio, after Warner Bros. acquired Watford-based Leavesden Studios in 2010.
The purchase marks Amazon’s second studio presence in the U.K. (alongside its long-term contract at Shepperton Studios), with Bray set to serve as the film site for the second season of the Russo Brothers’ Citadel in September.
The studio facility, located about 26 miles from central London in Berkshire, saw a period of inactivity from 2010-2017 before reopening to film the BBC series Bodyguard.
Bray Studios has since hosted projects including Rocketman, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, The King’s Man, in addition to its classic titles like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Mummy, and Ridley Scott's Alien.
The news comes just six months after Amazon submitted a written proposal to the U.K. Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, urging the British government not to impose policy changes or additional costs on the production landscape.
“It’s important for policymakers to appreciate that it’s much easier to change the location of a production than it is to relocate for other parts of the economy,” Amazon said in its letter.
