Cameras are rolling this week (w/c 17 June) on a big-screen adaptation of Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, with the production based at Shinfield Studios.

Simon Farnaby (Wonka, Paddington 2) has adapted the much-loved children’s classic with Ben Gregor directing. The story centres on children Beth, Fran and Joe as they encounter an array of eccentric, magical characters at the top of an enchanted tree.

Pippa Harris and Nicolas Brown produce for Neal Street Productions with Danny Perkins on board for Elysian Film Group; Jane Hooks also produces.

Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star, with recent casting reports saying Nicola Coughlan, Mark Heap, Jessica Gunning, Simon Russell Beale and Oliver Chris are also on board.

Shinfield Studios, now fully operational, is close to Reading and, with 18 purpose-built sound stages, workshops and offices, is one of the largest film and TV complexes in the UK. It is owned and operated by Shadowbox Studios, a global studio platform owned by affiliates of Commonwealth Asset Management and Silver Lake.

Shinfield also recently hosted the Gerard Butler thriller sequel, Greenland: Migration and the Star Wars spin-off series for Disney+, The Acolyte, that began shooting in autumn 2022.

For more on UK studios around the nations and regions, take a look at our latest edition of World of Studios here. To book your spot in the next issue, email sarah.keegan@mbi.london or alex.curry@theknowledgeonline.com.