Wheelhouse to make content with theme park operator Merlin Entertainments

Merlin’s attractions include UK theme park Alton Towers

US production and investment company Wheelhouse has forged a content partnership with UK-based theme park and attractions operator Merlin Entertainments.

Under the deal, Wheelhouse and Merlin will develop unscripted entertainment programmes inspired by Merlin’s attractions, across the reality, documentary and gameshow genres.

Merlin operates 140-plus attractions in 23 countries globally. In the UK, these include theme parks Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park, in addition to Madame Tussauds, the London Eye, Warwick Castle, Sea Life, The London Dungeon and Legoland.

Wheelhouse’s chief content officer and president of the company’s UK division, Glenn Hugill, will oversee the Wheelhouse-Merlin slate.

Merlin CEO Scott O’Neill said: “Through creative innovation and storytelling, our partnership with Wheelhouse will allow us to bring a new dimension to our stories, characters and IP on the largest platforms in the world: TV and entertainment programming.”

Earlier this week Wheelhouse secured a minority investment from a group led by Alignment Growth. The capital injection, which marks the first time Wheelhouse has raised outside capital since it launched in 2018, will allow the New York-headquartered company to grow through strategic M&A and build its infrastructure.