The state of California is handing out boatloads of cash to some of the biggest money-making studios in the world.
The money comes from the California Film Commission, which, in addition to providing tax credits for studios that rake in revenue, has a robust incentive program for productions that push diversity, equity, and inclusion.
'The state also pushes productions to acquire suppliers based on their diversity.'
As part of its $750 million annual industry push, the commission's funding is not limited to independent films or smaller studios, but tens of millions are actually allocated to big-budget studios that have a history of massive revenues.
Chiefly in this instance, Variety has reported that a sequel to "The Simpsons Movie," currently titled "The Simpsons Movie 2," will receive $21.9 million in state funding as California has expanded into supplementing animation production.
The 20th Century Studios production is set for a release 20 years after the original hit movie, which took in $183 million domestically and $536 million worldwide against a $75 million budget.
While TV revenues are tight-lipped, it's estimated that each episode generates between $3 and $5 million. It should go without saying that the longest-running American scripted primetime series is not hurting for cash.
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Other major production houses getting a boost from the state include Netflix, which will get $10.9 million for a reboot of "13 Going on 30," while an untitled Disney live-action movie will get over $18 million.
DreamWorks, which reportedly took in over $900 million in 2024, will also get a credit of nearly $25 million from California.
At the same time, Paramount will get just under $26 million; they took in a reported $28.75 billion in 2025.
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The film commission also sports a complex DEI program that offers tax credits in exchange for pushing its ideology on the production staff of any given project.
The state provides a checklist for productions to ensure they know to perform inclusive hiring, equity education, and "industry capacity building" to "increase an inclusive and qualified workforce."
The state also pushes productions to acquire suppliers based on their diversity.
California's "success roadmap" also shows that productions must issue "mandatory DEIA orientation," with the added letter in the acronym for "accessibility."
For live-action films, this must be done before principal photography begins, while animation has to show its DEI work within 120 days of production.
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There is a particular pleasure in watching a film that understands its own premise so completely that it never needs to raise its voice.
“Project Hail Mary” is that kind of film. It is about the end of the world, or rather the quiet prevention of it, and it proceeds not with spectacle but with curiosity. You lean in. It also shows that Hollywood can still make films that put storytelling first.
Clarity is one of the rarest virtues in modern filmmaking, too often filled with giant robot explosions and woke speechifying.
The story, based on Andy Weir's novel, follows Ryland Grace, played with a careful, disarming humanity by Ryan Gosling. He wakes alone on a spacecraft, far from Earth, with no memory of who he is or why he is there. The film reveals its answers slowly, trusting the audience to keep up. It is a confidence rarely seen in big studio science fiction, which tends to mistake noise for intelligence.
Grace is not a hero in the usual sense. He is a schoolteacher, a man more comfortable explaining than commanding. The film is built on problem-solving, on the steady accumulation of knowledge, on the small victories of understanding how things work. It recalls the best passages of Weir's “The Martian,” where survival depends on smart people overcoming impossible odds.
What distinguishes “Project Hail Mary” from “The Martian” is companionship. Without giving too much away, Grace does not remain alone. The relationship that develops is one of the most unusual and affecting in recent science fiction.
It is built not on corny sentiment but on shared necessity. Two radically different minds find a way to communicate. The scenes have a kind of quiet wonder that science fiction used to trade in more often, before it became preoccupied with destruction. It’s not really a spoiler because it’s in the trailer, but Grace befriends a spider-like rock alien who is also trying to save his planet. They must learn to communicate and work together.
Gosling understands the tone. He avoids the temptation to play the material for easy laughs or grand emotion. Instead, he lets the humor arise from confusion and discovery. There are moments of genuine comedy, but they grow out of character rather than being cheap jokes. You believe him as a man who is scared, then curious, then determined.
The direction, handled with precision and restraint by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, resists the urge to turn every crisis into a set piece. Space here is not a battlefield; it’s a problem to be solved. The visuals are clean and intelligible. You always know where you are, what is happening, and why it matters. This may sound like faint praise, but it is not. Clarity is one of the rarest virtues in modern filmmaking, too often filled with giant robot explosions and woke speechifying.
There is also an undercurrent in the film that feels old-fashioned. It takes seriously the idea that competence is a moral good. That cooperation, even across impossible boundaries, is preferable to conflict. These are not fashionable ideas, but the film does not argue for them. It simply demonstrates them.
If the film has a weakness, it lies in its structure. The gradual revelation of Grace’s past, while effective, occasionally interrupts the forward motion of the central story. Some of the Earthbound sequences feel less vivid than the material in space. They serve the plot, but they lack the same sense of discovery.
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Still, the film succeeds where it matters most. It creates a world, poses a question, and then answers it honestly. It respects its audience. It believes that people will follow an idea if it is presented clearly enough.
I left the theater thinking not about explosions or villains, but about communication. About the fragile, stubborn act of trying to understand something that does not speak your language. That is a rare thing for a film to leave you with. It is rarer still for a film of this scale to have a competent, straight white male who is the hero and isn’t lectured about leftist ideology. What a novel idea. And the fact that this movie has been a runaway success at the box office and with audiences proves there’s been a longing for movies like this.
“Project Hail Mary” is not loud. It does not need to be. It knows what it is about, and it trusts that to be enough. In the end, saving the world with heroism and smarts will resonate more than bloated CGI.
Action movie star Chuck Norris has passed away, his family revealed online Friday.
The 86-year-old burst onto the film scene in the late 1970s and had a major influence on the boom in martial arts movies of the 1980s and 1990s.
'To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather.'
Norris' family wrote on his Instagram page that the star passed away Thursday morning, but wanted to keep the circumstances surrounding the death private.
"To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family," the caption read.
The family added, "He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives."
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The family went on to say that they were grateful for Norris' life and the "unforgettable moments" they were "blessed to share with him." They thanked his fans and his friends and said they were "truly grateful" for offers of prayer and support they received during Norris' recent hospitalization.
Norris hit it big with films like "Good Guys Wear Black" in 1978 and "A Force of One" in 1979. He was a mainstay on television as well with "Walker, Texas Ranger," which had more than 200 episodes during its 1993-2001 run.
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Norris was involved in politics in recent years, such as endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2017.
In 2016, Norris was reportedly set to attend a rally for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) but ultimately did not attend, and a spokesman said any presidential endorsement from the action star at the time was only a rumor.
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Actress Rachel Zegler says that her race is a consistent issue when being cast for major movie roles.
Whether it was Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" or Disney's "Snow White," Zegler says she's received criticism for not being enough of either ethnicity of the roles she has played.
'When you're two things, you're simultaneously nothing.'
While many would argue that Zegler's constant criticisms of the traditional "Snow White" story — like calling Prince Charming a "stalker" — were the main drivers of the movie's failure, Zegler says it is her refusal to "assimilate" that causes viewers discomfort.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, she implied that she was told she was not white enough for "Snow White" and not Puerto Rican enough to play Maria in "West Side Story."
"I was told I wasn't enough of one thing for 'West Side Story' and too much of another for 'Snow White,'" she said.
Zegler called it a "confusing time" in her early twenties, despite being only 25 years old now, and played to her Colombian background; she was born in New Jersey, with Colombian and Polish parents.
"I grew up proud of being Colombian — eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult," Zegler said.
However, the actress then claimed that being biracial is actually what gets her overlooked.
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"I do think there's an argument to be made that, in the public eye at least, when you're two things, you're simultaneously nothing," she added. "But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else's comfort.”
While Zegler seemingly takes issue when it comes to audiences or studios noticing her ethnicity, she has certainly focused on her Colombian background a lot as a cause for celebration.
She told People in 2021 that she grew up in a "very Colombian American household" and loved being "surrounded by the biggest amount of Latinos I've ever been surrounded by" while filming "West Side Story."
At the same time, she claimed that studio executives "kept calling to ask if I was legit," in reference to being Colombian.
It was strange to have "a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them," she told the L.A. Times in 2025.
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In 2023, she joined forces with fellow Disney princess Halle Bailey to once again bask in the joy of being around certain races. She called it "beautiful" when Bailey remarked on working with an "all-black" cast, before calling her role as "Snow White" a "huge moment" for those who share her ethnicity.
Despite her recent interviewer purposely trying to pull her into a political debate, Zegler was described as not being willing to discuss politics but still acknowledged, according to the writer, that what's happening in the United States is "very difficult to witness in real time."
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An actress who starred in one of Quentin Tarantino's biggest films says his writing is "creepy."
Rosanna Arquette, 66, is taking issue with "Pulp Fiction" more than 30 years after its release, telling the press that she is "over" how Tarantino includes the use of the N-word in his scripts.
'Do you feel this way now? Very possibly.'
In an interview published by the Times on Saturday, Arquette said that while "Pulp Fiction" is a great piece of cinema, aspects of Tarantino's writing should not be considered art.
"It's iconic, a great film on a lot of levels," she began. "But personally I am over the use of the N-word — I hate it. I cannot stand that he [Tarantino] has been given a hall pass. It's not art, it's just racist and creepy."
The strong critique garnered near-immediate response from Tarantino, who wrote a letter to Arquette on Monday taking shots at her for showing a lack of "class" and "honor."
"I hope the publicity you're getting from 132 different media outlets writing your name and printing your picture was worth disrespecting me and a film I remember quite clearly you were thrilled to be a part of?" Tarantino recalled.
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"Do you feel this way now? Very possibly. But after I gave you a job, and you took the money, to trash it for what I suspect is very cynical reasons, shows a decided lack of class, no less honor," the director continued.
"There is supposed to be an esprit de corps between artistic colleagues. But it would appear the objective was accomplished," Tarantino concluded.
The letter, published by Variety, ended simply with "Congratulations" before the sign-off "Q."
Strangely enough, Arquette had reunited with "Pulp Fiction" cast members as recently as April 2024 for a 30th anniversary screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre without issue.
Regarding Tarantino's use of the racial slur, Samuel L. Jackson, who has starred in six of his films, has repeatedly defended the director's dialogue choices. Not only has Jackson said, "There's no dishonesty in anything that [Quentin] writes or how people talk, feel, or speak [in his movies]," but he also stood up for his colleague by comparing him to other art forms.
"When you have a song that says N-word in it 300 times, nobody says s**t," he said in 2019.
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Arquette played "Jody" in "Pulp Fiction," the wife of heroin dealer Lance. She told the Times that she is still sour about the movie because she was denied a box-office percentage.
"I'm the only person who didn't get a back end [a share of the takings]. Everybody made money except me," she said, blaming producer Harvey Weinstein rather than Tarantino.
Arquette was one of Weinstein's original accusers of sexual coercion.
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A stand-up comedian says fellow little person Peter Dinklage is guilty of hypocrisy for criticizing Disney over the use of dwarf actors in the "Snow White" remake.
The box office bomb garnered few moviegoers but plenty of meme mockery when it launched amid constant denigration by its own star, Rachel Zegler.
'It's not up to his cultural standards of what a dwarf should do.'
Zegler turned off audiences by consistently explaining that the movie avoided an out-of-date story concept while progressing to a world where Snow White doesn't need a man.
The movie's universally reviled CGI seven dwarfs certainly didn't help matters. Disney made the last-minute switch from live actors when "Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage lambasted the studio for daring to use actual dwarfs.
The backlash from dwarf entertainers was swift, expressing outrage that the uber-successful Dinklage essentially got at least seven actors fired.
Now stand-up comic and actor Brad Williams is calling out Dinklage for giving himself a pass when it comes to allegedly "offensive dwarf roles."
Speaking with podcaster Chris Van Vliet, Williams said that while he was jealous of Dinklage's talent, his disdain for the actor comes from his obvious hypocrisy that no one is speaking about.
"[Dinklage] came out and was really angry that the live-action 'Snow White' movie was going to use real dwarf actors, and he thought that was offensive. If someone else gets work, that's really offensive to him," Williams began. "It's not up to his cultural standards of what a dwarf should do to be a respected member of this business."
Meanwhile, said Williams, Dinklage's own resume includes "the most offensive movie to little people ever made": the abysmal 2002 film "Tiptoes."
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The film stars Gary Oldman as a dwarf, an effect achieved by the actor playing "on his knees" with his arms tied back.
"[He] doesn't look like a little person at all," Williams explained.
"You can't be in 'Tiptoes' .... and then come out and try to take work from dwarf actors and say, 'You can't play the role of a dwarf because it's considered offensive.' To whom? To you?"
While joking that Hollywood is "not writing" many roles for little people, the comedian screamed that he would have loved to be in the movie.
"Yes! Literally the role I was born to play, genetically," he laughed.
Dinklage's influence over the film did not please fellow dwarf actor Dylan Postl either, who said last year that Dinklage was putting at least a dozen little people out of work in what would have been the role of a lifetime.
"What gave him the voice for all of our community?" Postl asked.
Stuntmen and stand-ins could have been employed for the dwarf roles as well, Postl and Williams agreed.
Williams' notion that "Tiptoe" "looks like a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch" was the exact sentiment shared by comedians Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura when they brought up the film to one of its stars, Matthew McConaughey.
Watching the movie trailer for the first time more than 20 years later, McConaughey called it a "wild concept" that drew a lot of talent.
"We knew it was a soap opera," he remembered, saying the cast was thinking, "If we straight-face this, it can be really funny and also might actually make you drop a tear."
McConaughey and the comedians joked at the swing-and-miss nature of the trailer, agreeing that it "doesn't look real."
McConaughey assured the duo, however, that it was indeed a "real production" and he actually "showed up to work" to film that movie.
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When Christopher Nolan’s new The Odyssey film was announced, many people were understandably excited. Although composed nearly three millennia ago, the epic was tailor-made for today’s big screen, featuring exotic locations, tons of spectacle, strong men and beautiful women, and dealing with the enduring themes of home, heroism, and survival. And yet, for all this, […]
Project Hail Mary should inspire us to invest in a different kind of masculine Christian storytelling that challenges the conventions of the female-driven faith-based market.
Paramount CEO David Ellison understands that pro-American films and television are worth investing in.
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