New Arizona law offers incentives for the film industry. But is it too late?
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Part of "Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure," the 1989 comedy/sci-fi mashup starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winters and George Carlin, was filmed at the Circle K at Southern Avenue and Hardy Drive in Tempe.
Last week, Arizona became one of many states that offers some big tax incentives to attract the film industry.
Gov. Doug Ducey allowed House Bill 2156 to become law without his signature. The program offers a refundable credit worth 15% to 20% of production costs to filmmakers, and as Variety reporter Gene Maddaus reports, it’s designed to incentivize the production of two big soundstages in the Valley.
But Arizona is decades behind other states in trying to compete for this kind of business. Everything — from Westerns to "Stranger Things" — is shot in New Mexico these days, so are we too late to a very competitive game?
The Show spoke with Maddaus to learn about Arizona's odds with the film industry.
