£200m Pinewood project could revitalise British Film Industry » Communities » 24dash.com

Pinewood - the home of films from James Bond to Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - unveiled plans for a dramatic redevelopment of the world-famous studios today.

UK film-makers hope the ambitious plans could spark a resurgence in the homegrown movie industry and lure film-makers heading to Eastern Europe back to Britain.

The development features a number of backdrops, including a British suburb, a Venetian canal, a Roman amphitheatre, a fully-formed replica of a medieval castle, a Los Angeles high school campus, Lake Como, and street scenes from downtown New York, London, Chinatown in Boston, as well as a Chicago suburb, some of which could be visible from the M25.

Pinewood became famous in the 1950s and 1960s for the Bond and Carry On films, both British franchises, and the location for 1968 film the Battle of Britain.

Recent titles shot or partly shot at its studios include Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 28 Weeks Later, The Bourne Ultimatum, Casino Royale, and The Da Vinci Code, as well as TV series Extras, The Weakest Link and the Vivienne Vyle Show.

The extension, dubbed Project Pinewood and estimated to cost GBP200million, will be built on a 100-acre green belt site adjacent to the existing studios in Iver Heath, Bucks.

It will also feature the world's first purpose-built film and TV live-work "sustainable community" of more than 2,000 homes, which Pinewood aims to make "as green as possible".

Pinewood purchased Shepperton Studios in 2001 and both studios have a combined credit list of almost 1500 movies.

Pinewood already has 20 film stages, two digital TV studios, a unique underwater stage and the largest stage in Europe.

But increasingly Eastern Europe has begun to rival Britain as a location, partly because of the costs involved.

The BBC TV series Robin Hood was shot in Hungary, Antony Minghella's Cold Mountain was filmed in Romania, Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist was made in Prague, and Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was also shot in the Czech Republic.

Pinewood Shepperton said of its plans, being submitted for planning
permission: "They will ... enhance Pinewood Studios' position as one of the premier facilities for television and film production worldwide."

The studio is seeking financial investment for the plan.

Chief Executive Ivan Dunleavy said: "This is an ambitious and exciting project that is of national importance.

"Pinewood has been working with filmmakers for the past 70 years and our focus is on the next 70 years."

He said: "While we are in a high-cost territory, and we can't do anything to avoid that, people like to film in Britain because of the efficiency and skills that people have."

The redevelopment was welcomed by some of the country's biggest names in film.

Richard Curtis, the writer of films like Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Notting Hill, said: "I think this is a tremendous project, particularly for people who don't want to spend most of their lives in Eastern Europe.

"The practical benefits for film and television makers could be enormous, creating movies in one place - not several locations - and being right next to all the best film facilities."

Lord Puttnam, producer of Chariots of Fire, said: "It has the potential to be genuinely transformational through the unique opportunities and resources it offers to the next generation of media professionals.

"The inclusion of the training infrastructure will unquestionably help to keep Britain at the heart of the global creative network."

Gladiator director Sir Ridley Scott said: "This project is a unique opportunity for film makers and designers to have input into the strategic and architectural development of the UK's creative hub.

"I am tremendously excited to see the opportunities of this project realised on screen in future film and television production."

Stewart Till, chairman of the UK Film Council, said: "UK film is respected across the globe.

"We have world- film-makers in the UK and they deserve world- facilities. Project Pinewood would deliver these and help secure the future of UK film for decades to come."

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