Netflix acquiring Scanline VFX

As Netflix expands its footprint as a one-stop shop studio, the streamer’s VP of Studio Operations, Amy Reinhard, announced in a company blog post this morning that they’re buying Scanline VFX, which was one of the effects shops to work on the first season of Cowboy Bebop and the third and upcoming fourth season of Stranger Things.

Scanline VFX was founded in 1989 and is currently led by VFX Supervisor Stephan Trojansky, whose proprietary fluid rendering system Flowline won a Scientific and Technical Oscar in 2008. Scanline VFX has offices in Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, London, Munich, Stuttgart, and Seoul. Scanline VFX is known for its breathtaking visuals, as well as its complex, photorealistic effects in virtual production; some of their prolific credits include HBO’s Games of Thrones, Legendary/Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The firm will continue to operate as a standalone business and work with a variety of clients.

For Netflix, Scanline VFX has been involved with designing the interstellar landscape of Cowboy Bebop and the ravenous vampires of Blood
Red Sky as well as the exploding underground reactor in Stranger Things 3. Their work can be seen in the streamer’s upcoming movies Don’t Look Up, The Gray Man, Slumberland and The Adam Project.

“Netflix will invest in Scanline’s pipeline, infrastructure and workforce and continue to support the pioneering work that Scanline’s Eyeline Studios is doing in virtual production to push the boundaries of what is visibly possible,” wrote Reinhard, “We’ll also continue to rely on many other studios around the world for our VFX needs so we can continue to ensure that our creators have access to the world’s most innovative tech, and continue to bring the most compelling and cutting-edge storytelling to our members.”

The completion of the Scanline VFX transaction is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2022.

In 2018, Netflix purchased Albuquerque Studios. Before the pandemic in early 2020, the streamer announced it was committing $1 billion in production spending in their expansion of that studio to include an additional 300 acres, making it one of the largest high-tech and sustainable film production facilities in North America. The Harder They Fall was shot there in addition to Army of the Dead, El Camino, Godless, Daybreak, Chambers and Messiah. Netflix also has production hubs in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Brooklyn, New York, and Vancouver. Deadline