Warner Bros buys 'Harry Potter' studios

Warner Bros has completed its purchase of Leavesden Studios, the Watford facility where all the Harry Potter films were shot, and unveiled plans to invest £100 million to create its own TV and film production base in the UK.

Following the purchase, Warner Bros will establish Warner Bros Studios, Leavesden - making it the only Hollywood studio to currently own and operate a production facility in Europe and the first studio to do so since MGM in the 1940s.

Once the redevelopment work is complete, Warner Bros claims that the Leavesden site will feature one of the largest backlots in Europe, representing around a third of the dedicated stage space for film production in the UK. The facilities will be used for major Warner Bros productions, as well as third-party film, TV and advertising productions.

Warner Bros has used the studio just outside Watford since 2000, including the production of all eight Harry Potter films, as well as The Dark Knight and Inception.

After receiving all the necessary planning approvals, the company will now redevelop the 170-acre site and its studio facilities, increasing the ability to provide services such as visual effects, prosthetics, animatronics and film editing. The development will also create 300 new jobs, including specialist contractors.

"For 86 years, Warner Bros has been intrinsically involved in film production in the UK," said Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Warner Bros.

"Our purchase of Warner Bros Studios, Leavesden and our multi-million pound investment in creating a state-of-the-art, permanent UK film production base further demonstrates our long-term commitment to, and confidence in, the skills and creativity of the UK film industry."

Warner Bros president and chief operating officer Alan Horn added: "From Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2, the roll call of movies made at Leavesden is nothing short of spectacular.

"Over the last decade, it has been a place of incredible ambition, boundless energy and unprecedented success and I'm delighted that we are going to build on that rich legacy with many more productions in the future."

The re-development of the Leavesden site commences with immediate effect and the new facility is scheduled to open in mid-2012.