News

Oct 7, 2026

Governor Newsom announces 35 new films coming to California as independent filmmaking surges and iconic franchises return

28 independent films join major studio projects, including Ice Cube's Last Friday

What you need to know: 35 films have received awards in the latest round of the state's expanded Film and Television Tax Credit Program, highlighting a boom in independent production and celebrating deep-rooted California storytelling. The films continue to propel California's creative economy with an anticipated $1.08 billion in total California spend and nearly 30,000 cast, crew, and background performers.

SACRAMENTO — California isn't ready to say "Bye, Felicia" to the iconic Friday franchise. Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced 35 new films, including New Line Cinema's highly anticipated Last Friday, received credits in the latest round of awards from the expanded California Film Commission's Film & Television Tax Credit Program. These awards also include a new project from Mike Mills and Michael 2 (working title) from Lionsgate, which released the blockbuster Michael Jackson biopic earlier this year. New awardees, including 28 independent films, underscore both California's unique status as a haven for independent creators and the only state where stories like these can be properly told. The announcement follows Governor Newsom's recent push to bolster California's entertainment industry with a new post-production tax credit, an expanded film and TV tax credit, and protections for actors from AI-generated content.

California is the home of entertainment, full stop. We're not just protecting that legacy; we're investing in its future by expanding our film and television tax credit, launching a new post-production credit, and standing up for performers in the age of AI. We're making sure independent filmmakers and the next generation of storytellers and creators have a real shot to build, hire, and produce right here in California. More productions, more good jobs, more California stories told by California workers.

Governor Gavin Newsom

"What makes this latest round so exciting is the mix of independent filmmaking and iconic stories that are part of California's cultural legacy," said Colleen Bell, Director of the California Film Commission. "From an emerging filmmaker bringing an ambitious new vision to life to the return of beloved franchises like Last Friday, Clueless and The Rockford Files, these are stories with deep roots in California. Through our tax credit program, we're helping bring these stories to the screen while keeping the jobs, investment, and production that bring them to life right here in California."

New films coming to the Golden State:

• Last Friday (New Line Cinema)
• Michael 2 (working title) (Lionsgate)
• Unt. Paramount Crime Thriller  (Paramount Pictures)
• Leaves of Glass (Pinstripes Studios)
• Pure (The Space Program)
• Untitled Mike Mills Film
• American Wolf (Sweet Humans Productions)
• Additional projects come from Warner Bros. Studios and Pixar

Creating job growth in our backyard

The diverse slate of 35 projects in today's round of awards will deliver meaningful economic benefits for California, including:

• $1.08 billion in direct production spending in California
• $635 million in qualified spend (inclusive of qualified wages)
• $423 million in qualified wages
• 5,453 cast and crew jobs
• 24,842 background performers measured in days worked
• 1,049 total California shooting days, including 457 out-of-zone filming days

"I'm thrilled to produce Last Friday right here in Southern California, where our cast and crew lives," said Ice Cube, star, writer, and producer of the Last Friday Movie. "This story has been part of the fabric of South Los Angeles since our first film 31 years ago so producing the film here with more than 180 local cast and crew underscores the value of the California production incentive program. We're thankful for the opportunity to stay local."

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Independent films boom under California's film and TV tax credit

Independent cinema in California is powering the latest round of California Film and TV tax credit awardees, including eight independent features with budgets over $10 million and 20 independent films with budgets under $10 million, showing that California is uniquely tailored to support grassroots creativity

"Our film is set in the Chicano communities of Los Angeles, and it simply wouldn't exist if we couldn't shoot here," said Victoria Alonso and Tom Culliver producers of Leaves of Glass. "We are incredibly excited to showcase a side of Los Angeles rarely seen on camera, and work with the greatest crews in the world. We are deeply grateful to the California Film Commission for making this film possible."

"American Wolf is a powerful story about identity, resilience, and finding where you belong, and California gives us an extraordinary place to bring that story to life," said Danny De Lillo, President & Founder, Sweet Humans. "The California Film and Television Tax Credit has opened doors for independent filmmakers and new companies like Sweet Humans to make a meaningful investment in California, support an inclusive cast and crew, create jobs, and showcase the remarkable landscapes of this breathtaking state. For us, this is about more than a tax credit; it is about keeping stories, people, jobs, and opportunity here in our state. We are incredibly grateful to the California Film Commission for believing in American Wolf and helping Kaylon Hunt's vision become a reality in the home of film. California."

Major milestones under Governor Newsom's expanded program

The expanded Film & Television Tax Credit Program, championed by Governor Newsom, is making a major impact on California's creative economy. Since July 2025, 179 projects have generated $7.2 billion in California production spending, including $4.7 billion in qualified expenditures and $2.87 billion in qualified wages, supporting nearly 38,000 cast and crew jobs and 237,000 background performers measured in days worked.

In years past, for every $1 of tax credit awarded, California has seen massive returns: $24.40 in economic output, $16.14 in GDP, and $8.60 in wages. The expanded program, now one of the nation's largest capped film incentives, strengthens California's competitive edge in the creative economy while providing more funding for the Career Pathways Training Program, and the nation's first Safety on Production Pilot Program.

Recent legislation signed by Governor Newsom is helping to protect actors and increase production in California by:

✅ Creating a new tax credit for post-production work supporting the editors, visual effects artists, musicians, and other creatives who bring film and television to life.

✅ Strengthening the current tax credit program by making credits more valuable through enhanced refundability and supporting independent productions by exempting some of their tax credits from the temporary credit limitation starting in 2027.

✅ Requiring explicit disclosure on any video or audio advertisement that uses AI-generated performers to sell a product or service, and prohibiting the continued use of any advertisement found to be in violation of the law.

✅ Strengthening worker protections signed into law last year by Governor Newsom to help actors and performers protect their digital likenesses in audio and visual productions, helping ensure performers' legal rights when negotiating the use of digital replicas and establishing rules for recreating the likenesses of performers who have passed away.

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