The site was originally developed as a WWII aerodrome and aircraft factory, and following the war it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. It remained unused until it was discovered in 1994 by Eon Productions, when the studio was searching for studio space for the seventeenth official James Bond film, GoldenEye, as the franchise's traditional home of Pinewood Studios was fully booked with other productions. The wide, tall and open aircraft hangars on the site were uniquely suited to use as film stages; Eon leased the site for the duration of their shoot and went about converting it into a film studio, gutting the factories and turning them into stages, workshops and offices. After production on GoldenEye wrapped, the new Leavesden Studios quickly became popular, with a succession of major