Star Wars triggers ILM London expansion

Visual effects studio Industrial Light & Magic have announced plans to expand their UK-based operations in London, which will work on the new series of Star Wars movies.

With Star Wars Episode VII expected to begin shooting at Pinewood studios in May 2014, ILM are investing in their London facilities to work on these and other projects.

ILM president Lynwen Brennan announced that the new facility, north of Soho, would employ 200 people and will be a full-service studio, saying "we needed to expand, and London is a key place to find great talent. We also want to work with UK-based directors; there’s a lot of filmmaking going on in the UK. And, the government has invested in the industry there."

The Soho area is already home to several leading visual effects houses, and ILM intend to open later this year, with only a small presence at the Pinewood studio as needed. It has also been revealed that ILM London's first project will be Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron.

In October 2013 Lucasfilm announced that Revenge of the Sith's visual effects producer, Roger Guyett would be returning for Episode VII. Guyett previously worked with Abrams on his Star Trek movies.