movies

Editors Guild Sounds Alarm On “Existential” CA Production Crisis

Published

24 minutes ago

July 31, 2026

The Motion Picture Editors Guild is urging California lawmakers to expand the state’s tax incentive offerings for film and television productions.

On Friday, the IATSE local threw its support behind assembly bill 2319, which proposes a standalone post-production tax incentive between 35% to 50% intended to complement the existing Film & TV Tax Credit Program by “encouraging productions to complete post-production work in California — even when principal photography occurs elsewhere.”

The guild’s campaign includes a one-sheet explaining its support for the bill, as well as an entire section on its website dedicated to explanatory information. These assets were accompanied by a video in which members illustrated their struggle finding consistent work as of late.

“I worked nonstop because there was so much demand. And then over the next few years, I started to see a decline,” Isabel Yanes, an assistant editor, said. Several others spoke of their once-lively careers slowing down due to lack of jobs before she added: “It’s impossible to be able to live and have a decent livelihood when you don’t have enough work out there.”

The guild says that hundreds of active members have gone more than three years without a single day of union employment.

As with many of the entertainment unions, health insurance is offered to IATSE members based on hours worked. The decline in jobs has also made it more difficult to qualify for coverage. Per the guild, 23% fewer post-production professionals have industry health care coverage than four years ago.

AB2319, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, is designed to compete with similar post-production incentives offered by other states such as New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Georgia and international territories including Canada, the U.K., and Ireland. While the state’s existing incentive requires a majority of principal photography to happen in-state, AB 2319 offers projects that film out-of-state or abroad the opportunity to qualify if they bring post-production work to California.

This includes picture editing, sound editing, foley recording, automatic dialogue replacement (ADR), visual effects (VFX), scoring, music editing, color correction, and mastering

While there have been bright spots, California is still experiencing a production slump. Earlier this month, FilmLA reported that total on-location shoot days in Q2 2026 were down 13% from the year prior. TV is down 28% year-over-year but, positively, up 34% from Q1. That’s thanks in large part to the expansion of the Film & TV Tax Credit Program, as incentivized productions now account for 38.3% of the shoot days in the category.

The same goes for film, which saw 443 shoot days, a 20% dip year on year. About 33% were from state incentivized projects.

To date, 170 projects have been awarded tax credits through the revised California Film & TV Tax Credit Program, including the latest batch of 41 new film projects announced in July. Many will film in Greater Los Angeles.

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‘The Catch’ Movie Cast Adds Chris Fleming & Irina Shayk (EXCLUSIVE)

Published

18 minutes ago

July 31, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Comedian Chris Fleming (HBO’s Live at the Palace) and Irina Shayk (Hercules) have inked deals to join The Catch, Universal Pictures‘ new baseball-themed romantic comedy starring Emma Stone and Chris Pine.

Character and plot details for The Catch remain under wraps. Fleming remains in the fold at Universal after being tapped for a role alongside a murderer’s row of fellow comics in their Judd Apatow/Glen Powell comedy The Comeback King, out February 5.

Dave McCary is directing The Catch from a script draft by Jen Statsky and Travis Helwig. Others in the cast include Tim Robbins, Sissy Spacek, Ashley Padilla and Druski, as previously announced.

Originating as a spec from Patrick Kang and Michael Levin, the film will be produced by Stone, McCary and Ali Herting through Fruit Tree’s first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Shawn Levy and Dan Levine will produce through 21 Laps, along with Michael H. Weber, with Robin Fisichella exec producing.

Senior Executive Vice President of Production Development Erik Baiers and Director of Production Development Jacqueline Garell are overseeing The Catch for Universal. The film is slated for release in theaters on May 21, 2027.

One of today’s buzziest young comics, Fleming just headlined multiple shows at Just for Laughs Montreal, where he received the Comedy Performance of the Year Award. He’s the rare young comic to break through at the Emmys with a special, having been nominated this year for his HBO hour Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace.

As a stand-up, Fleming has toured theaters nationwide with Chris Fleming Live, Showpig, Boba Everyday and Tricky Tricky. His debut stand-up special Hell, produced by Jax and Jen Statsky, is streaming on Peacock. Recently seen on Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay, he’s also been seen on shows like Abbott Elementary and Loot, as well as in the film The Last Laugh, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Chevy Chase. He is repped by Mosaic, WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Shayk is a supermodel and actress who made her feature film debut opposite Dwayne Johnson in Paramount Pictures’ 2014 take on Hercules. Over the course of her career, she has appeared on more than 150 magazine covers, including over 50 editions of Vogue, making history as the first Russian model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated‘s swimsuit issue. Shayk has also fronted global campaigns for many of the world’s leading luxury houses and is repped by Society Management NY and Nue Group.

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‘Sweet Spot’ Thriller Spec Sells To Paramount Primal

Published

30 minutes ago

July 31, 2026

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Paramount Primal has preemptively acquired the high-concept thriller spec Sweet Spot from Nic Curcio & Kirby Gladstein, the writing duo behind the upcoming indie horror film Play House, Deadline can confirm.

Plot details are under wraps, and there are no other attachments to the project as of yet.

Curcio and Gladstein are filmmakers based out of Los Angeles who began writing together in 2023. Curcio was a writer on Sony Pictures Animation’s hit GOAT, starring Caleb McLaughlin, David Harbour and Gabrielle Union, and produced by Stephen Curry, which grossed over $195M worldwide earlier this year. He has developed projects for multiple studios, including a live-action Magic School Bus for Universal and an adaptation of Planet of the Nerds for Paramount. His script Barron was featured on the 2019 Black List. Additionally, he runs a popular screenwriting TikTok account with nearly 200K followers and over 10M likes, and has partnered with studios like Neon, A24 and Paramount to promote films.

Last September, Curcio and Gladstein won Fantastic Fest’s inaugural Fantastic Pitches competition, thereby securing funding and distribution for Play House, a project marking Curcio’s feature directorial debut. Curcio co-wrote and produced the film, starring Will Harrison, Jessie Sula, Jordan Gonzalez and James Urbaniak, with Gladstein. The pair got married a week after wrap and have set the pic to premiere at Fantastic Fest in September.

Curcio and Gladstein are repped by 3 Arts, UTA and Jackoway Tyerman. THR was first to the news of their deal for Sweet Spot.

movies

Paramount Primal Picks Up Erotic Thriller Sweet Spot

Published

38 minutes ago

July 31, 2026

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Paramount Primal, the genre label run by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, continues to roll in high gear.

The label, which launched in late 2025, and is currently in production on its first feature, has picked up an original erotic thriller spec script titled Sweet Spot by screenwriting social media influencer Nic Curcio and his wife Kirby Gladstein.

Details are being kept in the under lock and key but the project is described as a high-concept thriller.

No producers or filmmakers are attached.

Curcio has gained a devoted following of almost 143,000 followers on TikTok where his screenwriting advice, industry wisdom and takes on the movies of the day have received over 10.2 million likes. But he’s not just an influencer, he is a working screenwriter, as well. He was a writer on Sony Pictures Animation’s GOAT, produced by Stephen Curry. He has developed projects for multiple studios, including a live-action Magic School Bus for Universal and an adaptation of Planet of the Nerds for Paramount. His comedy script Barron, centered on President Donald Trump’s son Barron Trump, appeared on the 2019 Black List.

In September 2025, Curcio and Gladstein won Fantastic Fest’s inaugural “Fantastic Pitches” competition and received funding and distribution for their horror film Play House, which is Curcio’s feature directorial debut. They also wrote and produced the film, which will premiere at Fantastic Fest in September. Curcio and Gladstein are represented by UTA, 3 Arts, Jackoway Austen.

Primal is in production on Boys for Life, a comedy that Paramount has dated for April 9, 2027. It also made headlines earlier this month when it picked up the domestic screen rights to Wes Craven’s original A Nightmare on Elm Street script.