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Source: Film and TV Charity

Generic production

Announcing its latest round of tax credits, California Film Commission has confirmed that Amazon Studios/AGBO’s spy series Citadel is moving from the UK for its second season and will become California’s highest-spending relocating series.

The second season starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas is projected to spend an estimated $119m in qualified expenditures (Season 1 debuts on April 28) and is one of seven relocating and new series on track to spend a combined $527m in California during their upcoming season of production.

The figure includes $397m in qualified spending, defined as wages paid to below-the-line crew members and payments made to in-state vendors. This means the seven projects combined will generate approximately $130m in unincentivised spending across California.

In total, the projects will employ an estimated 1,585 crew, 629 cast, and 19,994 background actors/stand-ins (measured in “man-days”) for their next season of production. They will spend an estimated 646 filming days in California, including 23 shoot days planned outside the Los Angeles 30-Mile Studio Zone. T

The other relocating project is HBO’s Wondermill from Oregon. California has received 33 relocating series from other states and countries since the expanded tax credit programme was launched in 2015.

Among the new series are BET drama True To The Game based on the film trilogy of the same title, which will generate an estimated $11m in qualified expenditures during its first season; Netflix’s Forever, Disney’s ParadiseCity, Untitled Amazon Studios Series, and Untitled Paramount Global Series.

In addition to the relocating and new TV series announced on Monday, the tax credit programme currently has 26 recurring (legacy) series accepted during previous allocation rounds and in various stages of production.

The Commission’s latest tax credit application period took place from March 6-20. A total of $80.4m in tax credit allocation has been reserved for the seven projects selected. The list of conditionally approved projects is subject to change.

The next application period for TV projects will be held over June 5-12. The next application period for feature films will be held from July 24-31.