An international streaming service has become the first long-term tenant of Liverpool’s specialist pop-up studios.
In October last year, two 20,000 square feet studios complete with sound stages opened up off Edge Lane to meet increasing demand from production companies to film in the city. Since then, television commercials have been shot on site, with around £1m in rent projected to be generated from lettings on site.
Now, a new player in the US streaming service battle has become the first major occupant of the site on a seven-month basis. Liverpool Council has confirmed Paramount+ has hired out the Depot for filming on its upcoming drama Sexy Beast, a prequel to the 2000 film of the same name starring Ray Winstone.
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As well as using the Depot, the series has used a number of locations across the city to double as East London in the 1990s, including the gardens of St Nicholas Church and Tower Gardens, Rumford Street and Anfield. The drama follows the lives of small-time thieves who get mixed up in the London criminal world and the cast includes James McArdle (Mare of Easttown) and Emun Elliott (The Rig).
Sarah Greene (Normal People), Stephen Moyer (True Blood) and Tamsin Greig (Friday Night Dinner) will also be heading to the city to film. The eight-part series has been written, and will be directed, by showrunner Michael Caleo, one of the lead writers on the iconic HBO series The Sopranos.
The show will be produced by Chapter One and Paramount. The creation of the two sound stages was made possible through funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Cllr Harry Doyle, assistant mayor of Liverpool and cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, said: “The Depot has been a real game-changer and represents Liverpool’s long-held ambitions to be a 24/7 film city. Having a production like Sexy Beast commit to filming in the city for such an extended period of time is testament to the vision of our Film Office team who for many years have had the ambition and drive to make these studios a reality.
“It’s a hugely exciting time for Liverpool and this fabulous asset will have a direct, positive impact on jobs, local businesses and training which will nurture talent and benefit not only the city, but the wider film industry.” Lynn Saunders, head of Liverpool Film Office, added: “The Depot was always about future-proofing Liverpool’s prime position in the Film and TV industry, and we spent so many years making these two enormous purpose-built studios a reality that I can’t believe they are already a year old.
“The response from the sector has been incredible and we are so proud of what we have been able to achieve with the new facility – I firmly believe The Depot sealed the deal to bring Sexy Beast here as Liverpool now offers a complete package for film and TV producers. I’m so delighted this high-end drama is our first long-term tenant and having someone of the calibre of Michael Caleo here is a huge coup.”
Ms Saunders said Sexy Beast is the “first of many” productions to shoot in Liverpool, with more approaches coming in from filming companies. Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Our heritage, architecture, talent and people have always helped us to attract film and TV productions from across the globe.
“We invested in The Depot to ensure we are able to offer the full package for productions, from providing stunning filming backdrops to the more technical editing and recording post-production work. The past 12 months have been a really busy one, and the next 12 look set to be too, with Sexy Beast just the latest production to take up residence here.
“It is fantastic to see that our investment is helping us attract new jobs and productions from around the globe, as well as providing local people with world-class training and job opportunities.”
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