‘Joker 2’ and New Sofia Coppola Film to Receive California Tax Credits

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The summer lull is officially over in the race for Los Angeles mayor, as both Karen Bass and Rick Caruso have come out of the gate after Labor Day with accusations of corruption involving USC. Caruso, the billionaire mall developer, finished second in the June primary and is trailing in the polls, and needs to do something to change the trajectory of the race. On Thursday, he held a press conference at the Grove to highlight an L.A. Times story that draws a link between Bass and an ongoing federal corruption case at USC. In doing so, he also took a swipe at incumbent Mayor Eric Garcetti, saying that Bass would represent “more of the same.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Director Paul Haggis is scheduled to face a civil trial in New York next month on an accusation that he raped publicist Haleigh Breest after a film premiere in 2013. The trial will come nearly five years after the suit was filed, and just a couple of months after an Italian court dismissed a similar accusation against the director. Breest’s lawyers are now seeking information about the Italian case, which they may seek to introduce at the New York trial. In a motion filed on Tuesday, they asked Judge Sabrina Kraus to order Haggis’ lawyers to turn over records related to the case.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) started issuing the first part of the £650 means-tested cost of living payment to more than one million people on Tax Credits on September 2 and expects most of the lump sums to have been made by Wednesday, September 7. The payments of £326 are being made automatically to eligible Tax Credits-only customers, so there’s no need to apply for the extra financial support.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to approve a new contract with Netflix that allows actors more freedom to work on shows on other platforms. The union announced that 89.03% voted in favor of the agreement, which is expected to cover the next four years. The union had been focused on addressing “exclusivity,” under which TV actors have generally been blocked from working on other shows during hiatus periods. Under the new agreement, Netflix will have to designate a three-month period after each season — “a conflict-free window” — during which actors will be allowed to work on any show they want.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A Vanity Fair staffer who is portrayed in the Netflix show “Inventing Anna” filed a lawsuit on Monday, claiming she was falsely depicted in the series as “unethical,” “greedy,” “snobbish” and “disloyal.” Rachel Williams was a friend of Anna Sorokin, the convicted con artist at the center of the show. Williams was defrauded out of $62,000 and wrote a Vanity Fair article and a book about the experience.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A judge on Monday denied a defense request to postpone Harvey Weinstein’s trial in Los Angeles in order to avoid publicity for “She Said,” a feature film about the exposure of sex abuse allegations against him. Weinstein is set to go on trial on 11 counts of rape and sexual assault on Oct. 10, and the case is expected to last at least through the end of November. “She Said,” a film based on the book by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, is due out from Universal on Nov. 18. The film is also expected to have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 16.

When you see two prominent, A-list actors sign up for a film from a fairly young, up-and-coming filmmaker, it always makes you take notice. What do these folks see that encouraged them to sign up? Is it the story? Well, in the case of Tessa Thompson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who both signed up to star in the upcoming film, “Ash,” it’s clearly due to the chance to work with the filmmaker, Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Talks between the Motion Picture Association and the Hollywood labor unions have failed to produce an agreement on a new law that would address firearm safety on movie sets. The two sides backed competing proposals earlier this year in Sacramento in response to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in New Mexico last October. Both bills would have established a training standard for film armorers — a job that is currently almost entirely unregulated. The union proposal would have been more sweeping, however, establishing the role of a “set safety supervisor” who would have the power to shut down productions. Both bills stalled in the legislature in May, but the two sides continued to talk in hopes of reaching an agreement before the Aug. 31 legislative deadline.

A California Senate bill extending the $330 million annual film and TV tax credit until 2030 was today placed in the inactive file for this legislative session at the request of its lead author, Senator Anthony Portantino (D- Burbank).

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A bill to extend California’s film and TV tax incentive program through 2030 has been placed on hold, as lawmakers continue to work on elements of the bill, including a new diversity mandate. The state’s $330 million tax credit for Hollywood is currently set to expire in 2025. Sen. Anthony Portantino has worked on a bill, SB 485, that would add another five years to the program. Last week, a new provision was added requiring that productions that receive a tax credit adopt hiring goals that are “broadly reflective” of the state’s demographics. Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, led the effort to include that provision, which also adds an extra 4% subsidy for projects that meet their diversity targets.

Primark has fast become a favourite retailer for shoppers thanks to its wallet-friendly prices and fashion-forward designs. Now, the store has announced an exciting partnership that allows those visiting its stores the chance to purchase big brand clothing and a piece of a favourite design from the past.The retailer has partnered with the Vintage Wholesale Company to launch a clothing concession selling brands like Nike, Dr Martens and Levi that will be rolled out through stores in future weeks.The concessions will operate under the brand name "Worn Well" by the Vintage Wholesale Company and will stock pre-loved Primark and branded clothing from the 70s, 80s and 90s, including denim jumpsuits and shirts, spaghetti tops, printed sweaters, puffer jackets and pattern shirts.

Four big-budget features are among the 18 film projects that have conditionally qualified for the latest round of California’s tax credit program. Together, they’re expected to generate an estimated $915 million in overall production spending across the state and employ nearly 600 actors, more than 2,500 crew members and thousands of background performers. See the list below.

The California Film Commission announced today 18 upcoming projects that will benefit from the state’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program, receiving a combined $93.7 million break for generating an estimated $915 million in spending.Todd Phillips’ “Joker” sequel “Folie à Deux,” a remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair” starring Michael B. Jordan, and “Rebel Moon Part 2” are among the big-budget films selected for the program. An untitled Netflix production, which qualifies for more than $20.5 million in tax credits, is the priciest project at $107.7 million in qualified spending.

Hollywood soon might be required to do more than just talk about the importance of diversity in the industry, if a new addition to an extension of California’s lucrative film and television tax credits becomes law.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterCalifornia is poised to add a diversity requirement to its $330 million tax incentive for film and TV production, as lawmakers seek to use their leverage to make the industry better reflect the state’s demographics.Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign a bill, SB 485, that will extend the tax credit through 2030.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterSAG-AFTRA announced on Monday evening that it has reached a tentative agreement with the major studios on actor exclusivity periods, an issue that has become a top priority for the union in recent years.The issue affects actors on TV series, who can find themselves barred from working on other projects for many months or even years between TV seasons. The union has said that the issue has grown acute in the streaming era, with seasons getting shorter and with longer delays between seasons.The union backed a bill, AB 437, in the California legislature, which aims to eliminate exclusivity periods from actors’ contracts.