California approved 35 films for its expanded Film and Television Tax Credit Program, Governor Gavin Newsom announced, marking a significant wave of studio and independent productions that will spend an estimated $1.08 billion in the state.
The approved projects include New Line Cinema's Last Friday, a sequel to the Ice Cube franchise, along with Lionsgate's Michael 2, a follow-up to its Michael Jackson biopic. The slate includes 28 independent films, ranging from productions with budgets exceeding $10 million to smaller projects under that threshold. Additional major studio projects from Warner Bros. and Pixar also received credits.
The 35 projects are expected to employ 5,453 cast and crew members and 24,842 background performers while shooting for 1,049 total days in California. According to the state, approved films will generate $635 million in qualified spending and $423 million in qualified wages.
Newsom cited recent legislation supporting the program, including a new post-production tax credit and enhanced protections for actors regarding the use of artificial intelligence-generated likenesses in productions. According to Colleen Bell, director of the California Film Commission, the approved projects demonstrate "the mix of independent filmmaking and iconic stories that are part of California's cultural legacy."
Ice Cube, star and producer of Last Friday, said the project would employ more than 180 local cast and crew members in Southern California, where the original film was set 31 years ago. Since July 2025, the expanded program has awarded credits to 179 projects generating $7.2 billion in California production spending.