Warner Bros. to Lease Back Studio Redevelopment on Historic Ranch Lot

Warner Bros. and a partnership between Worthe Real Estate Group and San Francisco-based investment firm Stockbridge have reached a deal for the studio to lease back a studio redevelopment planned on the historic Ranch Lot from Worthe. The announcement was made by Jeff Nagler, president, Warner Bros. Worldwide Studio Operations, and Jeff Worthe, president, Worthe Real Estate Group.

Worthe Real Estate Group will be developing an entirely new landscape on the Ranch property, featuring 16 sound stages with connected production support space, a parking structure, a commissary, mill space and a 320,000-square-foot office complex. With the addition of these stages to the existing 32 across the studio’s main lot and eight at the Burbank Studios facility, Warner Bros. will provide a total of 56 sound stages upon taking up residence at the Ranch in 2025. This new development, at 926,000 square feet including 16 sound stages, will be the largest studio development in the country when the project begins development next year.

Through a deal first announced in April 2019, Worthe and Stockbridge will acquire the Ranch Lot property in 2023. As part of this agreement, Warner Bros. will become the sole long-term tenant to fully occupy two Frank Gehry-designed office buildings known as the Second Century campus under development on a portion of the nearby Burbank Studios site. This 800,000-square-foot office complex is owned and being built by Worthe and Stockbridge.

Additionally, as part of this same agreement, Warner Bros. will purchase from Worthe and Stockbridge the remaining portion of the Burbank Studios campus adjacent to the Second Century development, providing the studio with additional production office space and eight soundstages as well as a mill building and a commissary.

Located a mile north of the studio’s main 100-acre lot in Burbank, the Warner Bros. Ranch serves as a major hub of production activity in Burbank and houses the offices of both Warner Bros. Animation and The CW.