LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Producing film and television in places like the UK, Canada, Texas, New York, and New Jersey has become cheaper than staying in California, but Governor Gavin Newsom has a plan to save Hollywood, which saw a boost on Monday.
"An extra injection of money into the system that in many cases wasn't anticipated to be this large because in many ways this program looked like it was coming to its end and a new program was going to take over," said Dominic Patten, the executive editor at Deadline. "The number of jobs that are created out of these tentative allocations is a big number and that big number is a good number for people who are seeing a decline in double digits over the past several years in Hollywood."
California's film and television tax credit program is bringing 48 upcoming major studio projects and independent films to the state, which are expected to employ more than 6,500 cast and crew and 32,000 background performers. These projects are expected to pay more than $302 million in wages and will generate $664 million in total spending.
In a statement, Governor Newsom said, "California didn't earn its role as the heart of the entertainment world by accident. It was built over generations by skilled workers and creative talent pushing boundaries. Today's awards help ensure this legacy continues, keeping cameras rolling here at home, supporting thousands of crew members behind the scenes and boosting local economies that depend on a strong film and television industry."
But Hollywood experts say there's a long way to go.
"It's not going to be this amazing flip of a switch. There's a lot of things that have to happen here to bring back the level of production that the state and Los Angeles County was used to for decades in this business," said Sean McNulty, a contributor at The Ankler.
The projects announced Monday include the Issa Rae-produced sequel to the film "One of Them Days." Also, a biopic of infamous Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss and the film "Gold Mountain" directed by Ang Lee.
In October of last year, Governor Newsom proposed expanding the state's film and TV tax credit program from $330 million annually to $750 million annually. That has made its way through the legislature and could become official later this month.
This story has been updated to reflect that the Heidi Fleiss biopic is a separate film project.