LucasFilm's Willow highlights continued Welsh production boom

Creative Wales has published figures showing that since 2020, more than 22 projects filmed in Wales have generated more than £155.6m for the local economy. 

Among the high-profile roll call of major inward investment projects to have chosen Wales as their key location is LucasFilm’s much-anticipated sequel to Willow, that began filming in early summer last year with support from Creative Wales.

The series, which offered 25 paid placements for trainees during production, has just launched on Disney+. 

Lynwen Brennan, the executive vice president of Lucasfilm, said of filming Willow in Wales: “The industry is really booming right now, and Wales has this amazing combination of assets. We’ve got these great stage facilities, beautiful landscapes, and this great talent in Wales, which of course - me being Welsh - I was thrilled to see.”

Wales now has a combined 822,705 sq ft of shooting space across the country’s seven studios, along with highly-experienced crew and a huge variety of locations including the only coastal National Park in the UK and a plethora of historic landmarks including hundreds of castles. 

Brennan continued: “With Creative Wales we [Lucasfilm] have the same goals. We want to grow the industry here; we want to grow skillset. There are many, many options in the film industry whatever your skillset is. Whatever you’re interested in there’s probably a place for you in the film industry. Keep knocking on that door, because it is available to you and it’s available to you right here in Wales.

Other high-profile projects to have shot in Wales recently include Havoc with Tom Hardy, the third series of His Dark Materials and the fourth run of Sex Education, which began a six-month shoot in July.   

In the last two years, Wales Screen, Creative Wales’ location service, has received over 900 production enquiries from film and TV crews, and in 2021 alone, the Welsh screen sector saw a turnover of £575 million, a 36% increase from the year before. 

Deputy minister for arts and sport, Dawn Bowden, commented: “This eagerly awaited series offers another excellent opportunity to showcase Wales on a global level. I’m delighted we’ve been able to support LucasFilm to bring the production back to Wales. 

We can’t wait for the world to see Wales on screen - and this has been such a fantastic opportunity for the trainees who have gained invaluable experience on a large-scale production.”