What's going on: New Yorkers are used to seeing Toronto’s streets play theirs on TV (see: The Bold Type, Suits, and Adults). It’s very likely your favorite show or movie was filmed abroad as a way to reduce costs. That trend has only increased in recent years, which, as The New York Times puts it, has plunged “the industry into a state of despair.” The financial impacts have devastated workers. This week alone, actors Heather Matarazzo (from The Princess Diaries) and Jack Haven (from this summer’s indie hit Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma) both publicly asked for work so they can keep their SAG health insurance. Now, there could be a new episode. On Thursday, lawmakers introduced the Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalization Act, which would create a 20-30% federal tax incentive for certain film and TV projects made in the US. “We are going to lose the primacy of entertainment production if we don’t do this,” Sean Astin, the president of SAG-AFTRA (and Sam in The Lord of the Rings movies) said. Gandalf would be proud.
Will it pass on its first take?: Congress doesn’t have a great track record on passing, well, anything lately, but the bill has rare bipartisan support. Democrats frame it as a jobs initiative, and Republicans like that it pushes for movies to be made in America. President Donald Trump is advocating for it, too, posting last month, “Let’s get this done!” But of course, it’s not that simple. TheNYT notes that it’s unlikely the bill will move forward before the midterms, and if Democrats take control of the House, Trump may have other priorities. There’s also potential disagreement over how it overlaps with existing tax incentives in certain states, and the burden it could add to the federal deficit. Supporters hope to fold it into a year-end spending measure, but even in best-case scenarios, it likely won’t take effect until 2027 or later. For now, movies will keep filming in the Czech Republic while pretending they’re in Colorado, as is the case for the current Resident Evil reboot. Talk about a Hollywood horror movie.
