Netflix to Acquire Scanline VFX

Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things,’ season three.

Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix has revealed plans to acquire Scanline VFX, whose work for the streaming service has included Cowboy Bebop and Stranger Things 3, along with the show’s upcoming fourth season.

The value of the deal, expected to close in early 2022, wasn’t disclosed.

Recent work from Scanline — which maintains bases in Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, London, Munich, Stuttgart and Seoul — includes contributions to Eternals, Shang-Chi, Godzilla vs. Kong and the upcoming films The Batman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Led by Oscar-nominated VFX pro Stephan Trojansky, Scanline is noted for its proprietary fluid rendering system Flowline (used for CG water), which received a Scientific and Technical Academy Award in 2008. More recently, it launched Eyeline Studios to get into virtual production services.

According to a Netflix blog post by vp studio operations Amy Reinhard announcing the deal, the streaming service intends to invest in Scanline and Eyeline Studios’ infrastructure.

As to how this will be implemented, according to the blog post, Scanline will continue to operate as a stand-alone VFX business to support a range of clients, and similarly, Netflix plans to work with additional VFX vendors.