The Mill to relaunch across Europe and Asia under new ownership; reopening studios in London, Seoul and Bangalore, plus US plans

As reported by Adweek, acclaimed production and VFX studio The Mill, which abruptly shut down earlier this year, is relaunching under new ownership.

Global language and AI services company TransPerfect has acquired The Mill’s French division and is reopening studios in London, Seoul and Bangalore, with plans to rebuild a presence in the U.S. The move follows the collapse of former owner Technicolor Group in February.

The Mill London opens with 15 staff led by managing director Liam Collinwood, who previously spent almost 11 years at the company. Paris continues to operate with 150 employees under managing director Fabien Godenèche due to French insolvency protections. Seoul launches with five staff headed by Jonghyun Hong, while Bangalore houses 450 employees focused primarily on gaming.

“We absolutely want to grow in the U.S. It’s one of our biggest focuses as a next step,” said TransPerfect chief business officer Barnaby Wass.

Wass said former Mill leaders showed strong interest in returning to rebuild the brand, but the company is taking a measured approach. “We’re starting small, focused on creativity, and will scale over time.”

TransPerfect CEO Phil Shawe added that the company intends to grow The Mill and support its creative focus rather than restructure or reduce staff. The studio will continue work across short-form, long-form and gaming, with AI integrated into workflows alongside human talent.

Founded in London in 1990, The Mill became one of the world’s most renowned studios, creating iconic work for brands including Nike and Coca-Cola and contributing to films like Gladiator and Harry Potter. Its closure earlier this year sent shockwaves through the advertising and entertainment industries, with an estimated 6,000 roles impacted globally.