Utah will serve as the stage for three upcoming film productions — including the seventh and final season of “The Chosen.”
The Utah Film Commission announced Thursday the Utah Board of Tourism Development approval of three new productions for state film incentives — expanding Utah’s sweeping list of upcoming productions and strengthening its reputation as a growing film hub.
Together, the three upcoming productions are projected to carry an economic impact of $11.3 million and create more than 175 jobs across Juab, Salt Lake, Summit and Utah counties, according to the Utah Film Commission.
Among the approved productions is the seventh season of the biblical drama “The Chosen,” which will return to film at the Jerusalem set in Goshen, on the southwest edge of Utah County. The series has filmed at the Jerusalem replica since Season 2.
“We love filming in Utah and look forward to being in Utah for another season of ‘The Chosen,’” Brad Pelo, president of The Chosen, shared in a statement. “The people are wonderful, the landscape is stunning, and the locations we use work perfectly. We hope we get to be guests here frequently, as it’s a beautiful place to bring the story of Jesus to life.”
A seventh season of the reality television series, “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” was also approved for a Utah Motion Picture Incentive and will begin filming in Salt Lake County this month.
The reality series, which is the 10th installment in Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise, started filming in Utah in 2020 and has showcased Utah’s landscapes and culture to a global audience, a representative with the series’ production company said.
“Unwell Winter Games,” a new reality competition series from Alex Cooper — the personality behind the “Call Her Daddy” podcast — will begin filming this month in Summit County.
Hosted by Cooper, the series will feature teams of athletes, celebrities and internet personalities facing off in Olympic-style games.
“Filming in Park City allows us to leverage Utah’s iconic scenery as well as its production infrastructure, world-class hospitality, and vibrant creative community,” the series producer, Larissa Beck, shared in a statement.
Utah’s diverse landscape and neighborhoods have provided backdrop for thousands of movies and other film productions over the last century and continues to entice filmmakers.
High-profile films such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Thelma & Louise,” “Footloose,” “Forrest Gump” and Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” were filmed in Utah, as well as dozens of Disney movies such as “High School Musical” and “The Luck of the Irish.”
Between June and October, the Utah Film Commission announced 17 additional projects approved for state film incentives, including a spinoff series to “Yellowstone,” a seventh season of “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch” and several independent feature films.
How do film incentives in Utah work?
Utah offers two main film incentive programs — the Motion Picture Incentive Program and the Community Film Incentive Program — that both help productions stretch their budget by giving tax credits or cash rebates for money spent in the state, per the Utah Film Commission.
The Motion Picture Incentive Program
- Applies to big movies, documentaries and TV shows
- To qualify, 75% of cast and crew must be Utah residents and 75% of production days must occur in rural Utah
- Productions that qualify can earn a fully refundable tax credit of up to 25% of in-state spend
The Community Film Incentive Program
- Applies to smaller projects, particularly local filmmakers
- To qualify, the director, writer or producer must be a Utah resident and 85% of cast and crew must be Utah residents.
- Productions that qualify can earn a cash rebate of up to 20%
The incentive programs are not available for productions such as commercials or campaigns, infomercials, sporting events, news, live broadcasts or award shows.
Some of the other factors the Utah Film Commission considers before approving a production for an incentive program include: number of jobs created in Utah, number of production days in Utah, local cast and crew wages, ability to highlight Utah as a tourist destination, if the production reflects positively on Utah and the production’s projected economic impact on Utah.