Famous Films shot in Shinfield Studios
Shinfield Studios near Reading has become one of the UK's premier film production facilities, a major boost to the area’s cultural and economic outlook. Since its development on the University of Reading's Thames Valley Science Park, this state-of-the-art complex has attracted several major productions from Hollywood and beyond.
Here's a look at some notable films and television series that have utilised this impressive Berkshire resource.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - New York in Berkshire
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is one of the first major productions to utilise Shinfield Studios' facilities. The production team, led by director Gil Kenan, transformed sections of the studio into convincing New York City streetscapes for several key sequences.
The film, starring Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, and original cast members including Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, benefited from Shinfield's purpose-built sound stages. These advanced facilities allowed the production to seamlessly blend practical sets constructed at Shinfield with location shooting completed in New York. The film's impressive box office performance of over $200 million worldwide demonstrated the commercial viability of productions based at this impressive facility.
Jamie Lengyel, the Unit Production Manager for the Sony production said, “Thank you Team Shinfield for the outstanding support that enabled Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire to build New York on the first completed Phase 2 stage. There aren’t many studios in the UK where you can film whilst more new soundstages are being constructed all around you!
“The construction of the facilities is second to none, and you’d be hard to beat the quality found at Shinfield anywhere in the world.”
Star Wars Comes to Shinfield with The Acolyte
The Force is certainly strong at Shinfield Studios as Disney+'s The Acolyte, created by Leslye Headland, chose Shinfield as its production base, marking another huge milestone for the facility. The series, set in the High Republic era of the Star Wars universe, premiered in 2024 and required extensive soundstage space for its elaborate galactic settings.
The eight-episode series starring Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, and Carrie-Anne Moss utilised Shinfield's advanced technical infrastructure, including its state-of-the-art virtual production capabilities. These features were crucial for creating the show's distinctive planetary environments and space sequences without requiring excessive international travel.
Industry publication Screen Daily confirmed that The Acolyte was among the first major productions to book space at Shinfield Studios, helping to establish the facility's reputation for handling premium franchise content with complex technical requirements.
Magical Adaptations: The Magic Faraway Tree
Starring acclaimed actress Clare Foy, the film adaptation of Enid Blyton's beloved children's classic The Magic Faraway Tree chose Shinfield Studios for its production. The studio's versatile facilities were used to create a magical world that captures the imagination of viewers young and old.
The production utilised Shinfield's extensive backlot and soundstages to create the enchanted forest and the various magical lands at the top of the Faraway Tree. The studio's proximity to woodland areas in Berkshire provided additional natural settings that complemented the built sets. This adaptation demonstrates Shinfield's capacity to accommodate family-friendly productions alongside larger franchise films.
From Regency Splendour to Apocalyptic Drama
As well as Hollywood blockbusters, Shinfield Studios has hosted an impressive variety of productions, from the lavish period settings of Netflix's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story to the high-stakes action of Greenland: Migration. This remarkable range demonstrates the studio's exceptional versatility and technical capabilities, allowing filmmakers to create everything from historical dramas requiring precise period details to contemporary action thrillers with complex visual effects requirements.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story used the studios for several interior sequences, taking advantage of purpose-built period sets that recreated Regency-era London. Meanwhile, Greenland: Migration, the sequel to the 2020 disaster film starring Gerard Butler, employed Shinfield's technical capabilities for complex visual effects sequences depicting apocalyptic scenarios. The production team also praised the studio's advanced equipment and experienced local crew base.
These contrasting productions demonstrate Shinfield Studios' ability to adapt to vastly different filmmaking requirements, from historical accuracy to cutting-edge visual effects integration.
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