ANOTHER Oxfordshire air base is set for stardom as backdrop to the latest sci-fi film starring Natalie Portman which made its Netflix premiere in the UK this week.

Eagle-eyed viewers of the science fiction thriller 'Annihilation' will spot the familiar site as Upper Heyford provided the perfect setting for the Hollywood film by Paramount Pictures.

The thriller was partially shot at the former Cold War military base over three days with the likes of Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh gracing its grounds.

Annihilation, which was launched in America last month, tells a story of a group of scientists on a secret mission.

In order for the film cameras to roll however, specialist consent was needed and Heyford Park owners turned to planning, design and heritage consultants Pegasus Group.

Alex Robinson, a heritage planner with Pegasus, said: "It was back in the summer of 2016 that as part of our ongoing advice as retained planning and heritage consultants to Heyford Park owner the Dorchester Group, we applied for use of the base’s bomb bays and surrounding land and secured Scheduled Monument Consent.

"The project involved close liaison between our client, Historic England, on site set designers and location managers to ensure that temporary works were fully reversible and had no lasting impact on the Scheduled Monuments."

The temporary works during filming included covering roadways with gravel, mud and bark, putting up fake fences and guard towers, and covering old bomb storage buildings with mould like substances.

The former Cold War military based was also inhabited by 15,000 American servicemen in the 1970s and at the time was the largest airfield in Europe.

It has appeared in a number of TV and film productions including Octopussy, Lewis and Muppets Most Wanted. The third series of cult TV show Humans will also feature the air base.

Annihilation is written and directed by Alex Garland and based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. It tells the story of a group of scientists on a secret mission.

It comes after Bicester Heritage also starred on the big screen recently as a filming location for Darkest Hour starring Gary Oldman.

The film went on to bag Mr Oldman the Best Actor title at the Oscars.