The goal of Hollywood A-listers Renée Zellweger, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Matthew McConaughey, and Billy Bob Thornton is to establish Texas as “the new Hollywood.”
In an effort to persuade filmmakers to relocate their projects to Texas and to urge state officials for financial incentives to make the move more alluring, the celebrities banded together for a new advertisement from the True to Texas campaign.
Under the guidance of series director Nic Pizzolatto, McConaughey and Harrelson drew inspiration from their “True Detective” personas in the clip.
According to McConaughey, “Hollywood is flat circle, Woody,” in the video. “This sector is comparable to someone’s recollection of a sector. I am referring about a brand-new center for television and movies. A revival. A new beginning.
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“A small fraction of Texas budget surplus to turn this state into the new Hollywood,” according to Harrelson’s subsequent statement.
To support their argument, Quaid, Thornton, and Zellweger include details and analysis regarding the advantages of filming in Texas, emphasizing the state’s favorable economic effects.
“Texas settings are appropriate for Texas stories. For this reason, I collaborated on True to Texas with Dennis Quaid, Woody Harrelson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Renée Zellweger. “It’s time to bring TV shows and movies home!” McConaughey shared the advertisement in a post on X.
“Filming in Texas isn’t just about showcasing our stunning landscapes—it’s about creating jobs, boosting local economies, and building a thriving industry right here at home,” the caption read. “Working with Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Renée Zellweger to highlight how Texas can set the standard for filmmaking was an honor for me. Additionally, I was honored to have the legendary Nic Pizzolatto oversee this location.
He continued, “Let’s keep the cameras rolling and the economy growing—because everything’s bigger (and better) in Texas!”
The Taylor Sheridan-created series “Yellowstone” and its spinoffs “1883,” “1923,” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” which starred Quaid, as well as his most recent series, “Landman,” which starred Thornton and was based in the state’s oil industry, have all been filmed in Texas.
According to a press statement from Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s office, the Texas Senate last week said that it has submitted a budget that contains $498 million to update the state’s film incentives, “making Texas the movie capital of the world.” The spending plan includes “$48 million in grants for small films and TV commercials, and up to $450 million in new tax credits, including Texas residency requirements for workers.”
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Hollywood itself has been having trouble as Texas’ popularity rises thanks to celebrity endorsements.
According to a study from FilmLA, the city’s film office, filming in Los Angeles fell to a historic low in 2024, down 5.6 percent from the year before. This made it the least productive year on the city’s record, second only to 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. “Combined effects of runaway production, industry contraction, and slower-than-hoped-for post-strike recovery” were noted in the report as the cause of the low statistics.
Concern over the city’s production situation has also been heightened by the destructive fires that started in early January, leading to the creation of the “Stay in LA” petition.
“The livelihoods of the cast and crew in the Los Angeles area, as well as the innumerable small companies that suffer when production moves out of state and abroad, were already a major concern for us. An already dire situation has gotten worse due to the fires. We fear that the city we adore so much might lose its most important asset: its citizens. The nonprofit, founded by Alexandra Pechman and Sarah Adina Smith, says on their page, “We need a flood of new work to help our beloved city rebuild itself and ensure LA’s future viability as a place where craftspeople, film workers, and businesses thrive.”
In addition to asking studios and streaming services to commit to shooting 10% more in Los Angeles County during the same time period, the petition calls on state government leadership to uncap tax incentives for productions shooting in the county over the next three years. Additionally, it applauded Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to expand California’s own film-related tax incentives to $750 million.
According to Deadline, those include Keanu Reeves, Olivia Wilde, Kevin Bacon, and countless others that are added daily.
Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight were named Special Ambassadors to Hollywood by President Donald Trump last month with the intention of advancing business in the film industry.
Gibson addressed the subject of workers leaving the city during an appearance on “Hannity,” stating, “[People] are going somewhere else, because it’s more cost-effective.” Simply put, there are a number of restrictions and obstacles that I believe should be removed. However, I believe it is fixable.
Since it’s still not functioning, I’m aware that Newsom provided some tax incentives, but perhaps not enough. Later on, he said, “There are other things that offset that.”
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