Will Hollywood move to Texas or Nevada? Actors lobby for new film capital as crime-ridden California remains plagued by issues
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA AND MANSFIELD, TEXAS: Several actors have been lobbying lawmakers of Texas and Nevada to create “Hollywood 2.0” in either of these states away from California. Multiple superstars from Texas, including actors like Dennis Quaid, Owen Wilson, Glen Powell, and Matthew McConaughey, joined the ‘Good for Texas’ campaign and showed their support for the House Bill 3472 that could turn the Lone Star state into the new movie capital.
The bill promises to provide great incentives to people who would make films in Texas. Supporters of the bill stated that it would help create jobs and wealth as well as encourage tourism. Similar efforts are also being made in Nevada, with several actors moving to the Silver State from California. On Wednesday, May 31, actor Mark Wahlberg lobbied Nevada lawmakers to pass a bill that would increase tax credits for film production from $10 million per year to $190 million over the next 20 years. Last month, Marvel star Jeremy Renner lobbied bill sponsor Las Vegas Senator Roberta Lange for bringing Hollywood to northern Nevada.
‘We want to make Texas the film capital of the world’
Quaid appeared on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ and opened up about why they are pushing to create a new Hollywood in Texas. “We want to make Texas the film capital of the world. That's what Texas used to really have – a great film incentive program and a great film crew base. About nine or 10 years ago, I made some great movies there and [I] love working there,” the ‘Breaking Away’ star shared.
Quaid added there is “more business-friendly” legislation in the Texas State House to increase film funding from $40 million to possibly $300 million. He also claimed that bringing Hollywood back to Texas would also bring back several people to the Lone Star state. “It would bring back a lot of people who moved to other states like Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, surrounding Texas, actually, and Georgia,” he said. Quaid further explained that there is opportunity in Texas as the state has a “lot of people” and having money to pay for crew members like carpenters, painters, and hotel workers, among others, will “rev up the economy.”
The actor also mentioned that the “lack of state income tax” has made Texas an attractive place for the film industry. Meanwhile, he also pointed out that if “Hollywood 2.0” becomes a reality in Texas, it would not be the first industry to migrate to the state from California. “Texas did a really good job at taking a big share of the tech industry away from Silicon Valley. You go down to Austin and you can see that really clearly. And the same thing can be done with movies and television shows. It's a great place to shoot,” Quaid stated.
Several other stars also backed Quaid while speaking to Fox 26. “Texas used to have a great incentive program that brought hundreds of great movies and shows…" Quaid recalled before Billy Bob Thornton added, “And thousands of jobs to hard-working folks.” Woody Harrelson finished the sentence saying, "And hundreds of millions of dollars to the Lone Star State.”
Multiple actors joined the ‘Good for Texas’ campaign in an effort to move the film industry from California to Texas. “If the incentive comes back, I think you’re going to have a lot of those people who are going to be moving back to Texas, or be able to stay home with their families and their kids and that’s thousands of people,” Quaid explained about the bill.
“Production goes where the money flows. If you have a state like Georgia or Louisiana, New Mexico, or like we joke about, even Oklahoma has a stronger incentive than Texas,” said independent filmmaker and actor Jeremy John Wells. “The money, it’s going to get spent in the state. It’s going to go to crew members. It’s going to go to restaurants where people eat at, hotels where they’re put up, Uber drivers,” Quaid further added.
“Houston First supports any bill that would bring more films, more productions to Texas, and of course, Houston. That would mean many things for Houston. It would generate more jobs and more dollars for the city,” said Carolyn Campbell, Corporate Media Director for Houston First Corporation. “Who doesn’t want to visit a city where a blockbuster movie was made? Hollywood, come to Houston. Bring it on. We’re ready,” she added.
‘So much growth and so much potential’
Wahlberg also spoke about the advantages of the passage of the SB 496 bill to make Las Vegas the new Hollywood. “I would love to see us building studios, creating jobs and just diversifying the economy. I’ve moved my last film here. I’m shooting another film here coming up in the summertime,” the actor told CNBC. “I think there’s so much more opportunity to be created here. There’s so much growth and so much potential, it’s a wonderful opportunity for everybody to prosper,” he added.
The ‘Boogie Nights’ star also expressed his desire to make “Hollywood 2.0” in Las Vegas while speaking to Fox Business. “We're looking to create 10,000 jobs on the studio alone. The average salary would be $100,000 more than what it is now. We want to train people both in front of and behind the camera, create jobs, most importantly, first and foremost, for locals,” he said.
Wahlberg even referred to the Sin City as his “home town” during an appearance on Beyond TV's ‘Lights, Camera, Vegas’ show last August. “We want to create a lot of jobs, and a lot of excitement. Hollywood 2.0,” he said at the time. Meanwhile, Renner lobbied lawmakers on May 22 for creating a third site in northern Nevada that he believed could rival film production studios in Atlanta and New Mexico.
“I have a desire and want to speak up for people in Elko (County), people up here in Washoe (County), that we also deserve the opportunity to reap the benefits of building studios, jobs, infrastructure for the film industry,” the ‘Avengers’ star told The Associated Press. “And that’s my main impetus to be here,” he added. “I don’t know how to put a bill together or try to move the needle forward. And I’m not a policy guy. So I was really excited about (the bill). And then I was frustrated that it wasn’t very inclusive,” Renner said when Lange dashed his hopes about including a third site in northern Nevada as part of the bill.
Infrastructural scope for new Hollywood in Texas and Nevada
Amid alleged radical policies leading to high taxes, increased "woke" culture, rampant crimes, and homelessness in California, several celebrities have been moving to states like Texas, Nevada, and Florida, among others. In the wake of the boom in population in these states, both Texas and Nevada ended up becoming preferred locations for celebrities dreaming of creating a new Hollywood away from the Golden State.
A 72-acre plot of empty land in Mansfield, Texas, can soon become the location to give Hollywood a run for its money. The undeveloped land located close to South 7th Street and Easy Drive is reportedly likely to be at the first phase of Mansfield Super Studios, expected to create 2,000 jobs. “The project, which has a starting cost of $70 million dollars, will have “clusters” with sound stages and mill spaces, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and retail,” as per a report from WFAA.
The project is being overseen by filmmaker Angel Gracia, who directed the movie ‘From Prada to Nada’ and is also set to serve as the company's CEO. Gracia told WFAA, “This is a filmmaker’s studio designed by filmmakers for filmmakers.”
Meanwhile, the SB 496, also known as ‘The Film Bill’ in Nevada, which is expected to annually increase tax credits for film production from $10 million to $190 million, is being sponsored, said state Senator Lange, alongside Birtcher Development, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Howard Hughes Corp. The first studio is reportedly located at the southwest valley at Durango Drive and Sunset Road off the 215 Beltway, and referred to as “Zone One.”
It is also set to serve “as an education pipeline for UNLV film students through an $8 million training facility on-site,” the Daily Mail reported. On May 31, plans were announced for a second location in Summerlin South at Flamingo Road and Town Center Drive, which would be 60 acres to be used for a “mixed-use, vibrant” retail space and possibly a hotel.
“The studio includes both your three-story buildings where you build sets, your sound stages. It includes a volume studio, which is those green rooms where they filmed things like Star Wars and the Mandalorian,” said David O’Reilly, CEO of Howard Hughes Corporation. “Our employees and the future of Summerlin are inextricably linked with the Nevada economy. If we can strengthen, diversify and grow by bringing the film industry here, that will benefit all of us,” he added.
