‘Michael’ & ‘Friday’ Sequels Among Films To Get California Tax Credits In Latest Funding Round

The California Film Commission on Wednesday revealed 35 feature films that have been selected to receive California tax credits in the most recent round of funding. The list includes the sequel to Michael, Lionsgate’s blockbuster Michael Jackson biopic, as well as New Line’s Friday sequel Last Friday and a new project from indie filmmaker Mike Mills.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the recipients in a press release, which noted that the new slate of productions is expected to bring in $1.08 billion in California spend and involve almost 30,000 cast, crew and background jobs.

The reveal comes amid an expansion of the state’s film and television tax credit program that included launching a post-production credit and creating guidelines around AI usage.

Among the 35 films on today’s list includes new untitled movies by Disney, a 20th Century horror pic, a Paramount crime thriller and a Warner Bros comedy. A new untitled Pixar project has scored the biggest credit haul of the bunch with $40.1 million, followed my Michael 2 with $30.8 million.

Of the pics, 28 are indie productions, which has been a focus of the expanded program; eight indies have budgets over $10 million, and 20 have budgets of less than $10 million.

“What makes this latest round so exciting is the mix of independent filmmaking and iconic stories that are part of California’s cultural legacy,” said California Film Commission director Colleen Bell. “From an emerging filmmaker bringing an ambitious new vision to life to the return of beloved franchises like Last Friday, Clueless and The Rockford Files, these are stories with deep roots in California. Through our tax credit program, we’re helping bring these stories to the screen while keeping the jobs, investment, and production that bring them to life right here in California.”

Since July 2025, 179 earmarked projects have generated $7.2 billion in California production spending, including $4.7 billion in qualified expenditures and $2.87 billion in qualified wages, according to the commission. That supported almost 38,000 cast and crew jobs and 237,000 background performers measured in days worked.