The California Film Office revealed Monday that five new and two moving TV series had been picked to receive $90.8 million in tax breaks for filming in the state.
The $500 million in tax credits given to Netflix, HBO, and other competitors was surpassed by another round of subsidies worth $30 million to HBO. Lucasfilm ($20.9 million), Warner Bros. Discovery ($19.7 million excluding HBO), Netflix ($14 million), and NBC Universal ($6.2 million) were the top recipients.
The movies — which include Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Netflix's The Residence (produced by Shonda Rhimes) — are expected to spend a combined $713 million in California while filming. They're expected to produce $468.2 billion in qualified spending – Wages paid to below-the-line workers and in-state vendors.
The five new programs, which include Warner Bros. Discovery's My Glory and Presumed Innocent, as well as HBO's The Sympathizer, have been chosen to join the tax incentive program for the first time since 2019. Due in part to the large number of recurring series that have already received credits. In July 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill (SB144) that boosts funding for the $330 million yearly tax credit program by $180 million over two years.
The first season of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is expected to account for the most significant qualified spend of the seven series, with over $136 million in expenditures. The series, which received a total of $20.9 million in credits, follows a group of misfits who are trying to find their way home. The new Star Wars installment, which will star Jude Law and be directed by Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts, is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2023.
“Increased investment in our tax credit program strengthens California's ability to compete and continue building on our status as the world's media production capital,” said California Film Commission executive director Colleen Bell. “We are, once again, welcoming new TV series into the program, which creates jobs and economic opportunity here in the Golden State.”
SB144 also reserved an additional $15 million for series relocating to California, bringing the total annual funding for such shows to $71.1 million. The criteria for qualifying was lowered to include series that filmed their pilot episode outside of California. Before now, the program required filming a full season outside of California. The relocating program identified to participate in the program, including Killing It and Rap Sh!t — which relocated production from Louisiana and Florida, respectively.
“We are thrilled to be making season two in California, which not only has amazing crews and the best facilities but is also where our children are located,” said executive producer Dan Goor in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
The seven projects will hire 1,953 crew members, 545 cast members, and 21,691 background actors/stand-ins during production. They'll spend an estimated 559 filming days in California during production.
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