A film and TV tax credit initiative designed to juice production and soundstage construction in California has lured Suits: LA to shoot in the state.
The California Film Commission on Tuesday announced that the spinoff to the former USA Network series-turned-streaming juggernaut will get nearly $12 million thanks to a program that incentivizes the construction of additional soundstages.
Other projects that will get tax credits to film in California include a Janis Joplin biopic, Community – The Movie and Killing Gawker. In all, the 19 titles — three big-budget features, fifteen independent films and a TV series — were granted $51.6 million in incentives. They’re expected to employ 2,768 crew members, 1,086 cast members, and 16,997 background performers over 618 filming days, with the expectation they’ll spend over $284 million in the state.
Production has been slow to rebound after last year’s dual strikes from actors and writers that immediately followed belt-tightening by studios as they pivoted toward profitability of their streaming businesses. Los Angeles saw a double-digit drop in TV shots in the three-month period from January and March, with filming in the category trailing its five-year average by more than 32 percent. Amid the anemic return to filming in the region, competing states and countries have increasingly been beefing up their tax incentive programs, many of which have looser restrictions and limitations than California’s, in bids to attract productions. In June, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill expanding the state’s tax credit program to include game, national talk and contest-based shows, among other reality TV. This followed Japan unveiling an incentive scheme offering reimbursement of up to 50 percent of qualifying expenditures in the country.
Suits: LA, which shot its pilot in Vancouver, initially intended to film outside of California. It pivoted after it was awarded credits from a $150 million program passed in 2021 aimed at constructing more soundstages when capacity was in short supply. The show, from Universal Content Productions LLC, is expected to spend $25 million in qualified wages and create more than 2,600 jobs over 96 days of shooting.
“Keeping jobs here in California and bringing jobs back to California have always been top priorities for our state,” said Colleen Bell, executive director of the California Film Commission. “We’re not only helping people get back to work but also keeping major projects like Suits LA — which was planning to film elsewhere—right here in Los Angeles where it belongs. This is crucial for our economy and the well-being of our crew that call California home.”
In a statement, showrunner Aaron Korsh said, “Being able to shoot here will be a huge part of the show’s authenticity.” He stressed that the relocation from Vancouver will “provide employment for Los Angeles-based cast and crew who have been starving for opportunities at home.”
A Janis Joplin biopic headlines the 15 independent features granted incentives in this round of credits. Shailene Woodley will star and executive produce the film, which will get a $2.5 million tax credit for just under $10 million in production expenditures. Artist Equity’s Killing Gawker will also get the same amount for filming in the state. Ben Affleck has been circling the role of Hulk Hogan in the movie, with Gus Van Sant in talks to direct.
The three major features films granted that will receive funding under the program include Community – The Movie, which will reunite the TV series cast and is slated for Peacock, TCS US Productions 34, Inc.’s Lullaby and an untitled Screen Gems Productions film.