The studios are built on the site of a 150-year-old manor house in
Chobham Common. From 1942 to 2005 the site was used by
Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment for the production and testing of military vehicles and innovations such as
Chobham Armour. In 2005, the site was purchased by construction company
Crest Nicholson and asset management company
Aviva Investors. Longcross Studios began operations the following year and has since hosted a wide range of film and television productions, including the
James Bond film
Skyfall (2012), ITV crime drama
Broadchurch (2013-17), and the
Marvel Studios production
Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness (2022). The rise of streaming services such as
Disney+,
Netflix, and
Amazon Prime and the increased demand for original content has led to a spike in demand for production real estate and
sound stages. In order to respond to the demand, Longcross Studios has built a new type of
sound stages with Serious Stages, a concert stage and temporary building construction company. The "meganova" and "Space" stages are built to purpose and can be built in three months versus 12–18 months of traditional sound stages. A number of productions are already taking advantage of the new stages, including the upcoming
Mission Impossible films. In 2021,
Netflix and
Aviva Investors signed a deal to expand operations and invest in stages and facilities at Longcross Studios. Aviva Investors also acquired the remaining £45 million ($61.5m) stake from Crest Nicholson. ==List of Longcross Studios Productions==