Netflix is expanding its physical presence in British Columbia with the lease of around 178,000 square feet of studio space at Canadian Motion Picture Park (CMPP).

Under a multi-year deal, Netflix will lease seven stages of varying sizes at the Burnaby studio, in addition to office and support space.

Two original projects – an as-yet untitled film project starring Sandra Bullock and produced by Graham King, and a TV series, Midnight Mass, created and directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) – will both shoot at CMPP. Midnight Mass has already been filming elsewhere in the province, while the untitled project is set to begin later this fall.

In recent years, B.C. has hosted production on more than a dozen Netflix original films and series, including Lost in Space, Altered Carbon, The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two, Virgin River, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and A Babysitter’s Guide To Monster Hunting.

CMPP, which spans 25 acres and 18 sounds stages in total, has become an oft-used studio for tentpole films and TV series including Mission Impossible, Godzilla, World of Warcraft, Supernatural, A Million Little Things, Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow.

While many jurisdictions globally have struggled to remount production during the pandemic, B.C. has seen a significant number of series get back to work over the past month. After an initial stutter – when a dispute over the frequency of COVID testing for crew and cast halted the restart of The Good Doctor – a swathe of U.S. series have restarted, or are gearing up to start, in Vancouver. Among those already underway are Riverdale and Batwoman, while Supergirl and The Flash are slated to start shooting soon.

Canadian-produced series Family Law (SEVEN24 Films, Vancouver’s Lark Productions) and season two of Netflix original Another Life (Halfire Entertainment) are also already underway.

As deep-pocketed streamers and networks have ramped up their production spending in recent years, they have increasingly looked to secure long-term studio leases to guarantee the availability of shooting space.

In Toronto, Netflix inked multi-year lease agreements with both Cinespace and Pinewood Toronto Studios in February 2019. Through the agreements, Netflix has control of eight purpose-built sound stages, totalling around 250,000 square feet of space in total in Toronto’s Port Lands. The streamer has also established hubs throughout Europe and the U.S.

B.C. Premier John Horgan said the lease deal demonstrates “confidence in the tremendous expertise and talent” of the 70,000-plus individuals who work in B.C.’s production sector.

“We’re grateful to the local authorities and unions that have worked so hard to help us return to production in the province,” added Ty Warren, VP, physical production, Netflix.