Written by on Nov 27, 2014. Posted in On Location

Coen Brothers boost Los Angeles location filming with new movie Hail Caesar

Filmmaker siblings Joel and Ethan Coen are helping boost California’s production industry by shooting their new movie Hail, Caesar! on location in Los Angeles. California’s uncompetitive filming incentive means that few features have been based in the state in recent years.

Hail, Caesar! is set in 1950s Hollywood and is reportedly inspired by the true story of private detective Fred Otash, who was paid by Hollywood studios to safeguard the reputations of movie stars of the era.

“While we wait for California's film incentive to bring major productions to the state next year, it's great to have features like Hail, Caesar! in town to provide job opportunities to local film crews,” said Phil Sokoloski of FilmLA in comments to the LA Times.

The Coens have filmed in Los Angeles before for movies including Intolerable Cruelty and their cult classic The Big Lebowski, but their most recent California shoot was for their remake of The Ladykillers in 2004.

California’s filming incentive will have its annual film fund more than tripled from 2015 and support will be expanded to big-budget features and TV dramas. Sci-fi sequel Star Trek Into Darkness and Marvel’s superhero follow-up Captain America: The Winter Soldier are among the only large-scale films to have shot primarily in California in recent years.

Next year’s filming incentive change has the potential to shake up the production landscape both in North America and internationally. California views the UK as one of its top competitors, with Marvel having chosen to film extensively in London in recent years and Lucasfilm also now confirmed to shoot Star Wars 8 at Pinewood Studios.

California faces tough competition from production hubs across the US and Canada but hopes to have the edge partly because it's already home to a large proportion of America's crew base.