A Gold Rush movie from director Ang Lee and a biopic set in Long Beach and produced by Snoop Dogg are among the 28 films that have been awarded a tax credit for shooting in California, the state’s film commission said Wednesday.
Together, the 28 films are expected to hire more than 4,800 cast and crew members, as well as more than 22,000 background actors, the commission said. The projects are projected to generate $562 million in economic activity throughout the state.
Of the 28 projects, 18 are indie films with budgets of $10 million or less, five are indies with budgets of more than $10 million and five are non-independent feature films.
Seventeen of the projects will be shooting outside the Los Angeles region, which qualifies them for additional benefits under the revamped California film and television production incentive program that was approved earlier this year. The state has now doubled the annual amount of funds allocated to the program from $330 million to $750 million and expanded the eligibility criteria.
This is the fourth round of TV or film projects that have been awarded tax credits under the revised program. Together, those projects are on track to generate $4.2 billion in economic activity in California and more than 25,000 cast and crew jobs across 4,000 filming days in the state, the commission said.
“In a highly competitive global environment, productions have choices,” said Colleen Bell, director of the California Film Commission. “This round shows that when California puts the right tools on the table, filmmakers want to stay, create and invest here.”
In addition to the “Gold Mountain” film from Lee, which was awarded $7.7 million in tax credits, and the untitled NBCUniversal project from Snoop Dogg ($17 million), an indie film called “Guerrero” directed by Gina Rodriguez was also awarded a $4.5-million tax credit, along with an untitled Sony project produced by actor Glen Powell ($9.9 million).
“California raised me, inspired me, and now helpin’ bring this biopic to life in 2026,” Snoop Dogg said in a statement. “Much respect — that’s real teamwork, ya dig.”
California’s revamped production incentive program comes as other states have also upped their benefits for film and TV shooting. On Wednesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed new legislation that increases the tax credit for productions that hire Illinois residents and vendors, as well as additional benefits for shooting in specific areas around the state.
