Made in Dagenham: Hollywood real estate firm to build new east London film studios
A Hollywood real estate firm that owns studios where classics such as Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind were filmed will invest £300m in a major new production complex in east London.
Hackman Capital Partners (HCP) will take control of the construction of Eastbrook Studios, a new film and TV hub spread across more than half a million square feet in Dagenham.
The east London movie hub will boast up to 12 sound stages, production offices and set construction workshops built on former industrial land.
The complex, which has been approved by the local council and mayor Sadiq Khan, is expected to create 1,200 jobs and contribute £35m per year to the local economy.
“Today we’re making history. Dagenham used to be famous for factories and Fords but in the future, we will be equally famous for making films,” said councillor Darren Rodwell, leader of Barking and Dagenham Council.
“It’s not for the glamour or glory. It’s about bringing in thousands of jobs, providing education and training opportunities for local young people, and giving people hope in these gloomy Covid times.”
Los Angeles-based HCP, which was founded in 1986, owns a string of major US film studios, including The Culver Studios, Television City Studios and Silvercup Studios.
Its sound stages have played host to numerous blockbusters over the years, as well as CBS TV hits including The Late Late Show with James Corden.
The development follows a 2017 study that identified Dagenham East as a prime location for new world-class studio space amid growing demand in the capital.
Since then a temporary studio has been established in the area, playing host to major productions including Marvel’s upcoming superhero film Black Widow and Sony’s vampire thriller Morbius.
The Dagenham project marks the latest in a string of major studio projects in and around the capital as developers rush to meet surging demand for new films and TV shows to fuel the escalating streaming wars.
In April developers were given the green light to build a £250m film complex in Kent providing studio space for streaming giants Netflix and Amazon.
Meanwhile plans have been outlined for the UK’s largest purpose-built studio complex near Reading, while Sky is set to open a new 32-acre production hub in Elstree.
Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said the plans were “fantastic news for the screens sector, for London and for the UK”.
“Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK screen industries were enjoying record growth,” he said.
“As UK film and TV production safely restarts, I am confident we shall return to those levels, and exceed them, in coming years, playing our part in the capital and country’s recovery.”
Main image credit: BeFirst London