Netflix said it plans to acquire Scanline VFX, a special effects studio that has worked on Netflix shows including Cowboy Bebop, Blood Red Sky and Stranger Things 3.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Netflix has been growing its original productions and acquiring more production facilities. It opened a studio in Brooklyn in September. It also recently acquired Oxenfree, a game studio.
“We want to surprise and delight our members by pushing the boundaries of visual effects,” Netflix VP of studio operating Amy Reinhard said in a company blog post announcing the proposed transaction.
“Scanline is known for its complex, photorealistic effects and expertise in virtual production. It’s also done an extraordinary job of supporting our creators on everything from the above-mentioned VFX achievements to those in upcoming titles like Don’t Look Up, The Gray Man, Slumberland, The Adam Project and Stranger Things 4,” Reinhard said.
Netflix expects the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2022. Once the deal is done, Netflix said it will invest in Scanline’s pipeline, infrastructure and workforce so that it can continue to push the boundaries of special effects.
In addition to the Netflix shows, Scanline has done effects for Disney’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Warner Bros.’s Zack Synder’s Justice League and HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Netflix said that Scanline will continue to work with a variety of clients and that Netflix will also rely on other studios for its special effects needs.
