Another week in the books. Please consider subscribing if you haven’t already; it is free. I understand newsletter fatigue; I subscribe to dozens of newsletters and have them all routed to my junk mail to read at my leisure. The page is going to get a bit of an overhaul in the next few weeks; stay tuned. TIFF is coming up next month; looking forward to that. As always, we cover human beings, not AI… Hard-working folks that make magic happen. It doesn’t matter how old I get, I am still amazed at what filmmakers pull off regularly. This week we covered composers... the amazing Dave Porter about his work on the fascinating series Pluribus and Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans on their long-term partnership and their latest collaboration with Jason Bateman on Black Rabbit. There were some interesting revelations, one that particularly stuck with me: despite being a popular series for Netflix, it had almost no traction on social media. It's a great show and has several Emmy nominations so go figure.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day had a massive record-breaking first weekend and is looking to do more this weekend as The Odyssey continues its epic run. I liked both films, but I wish there were more counter-programming; that being said, I did see The Invite, which was surprisingly good. There are lots of films released every week that I barely know anything about, I try to keep up. Rather than run numbers, there are plenty of other places that cover box office; I like Bruce Nash’s The Numbers, who does a skilled job at breaking everything down. I hate when I look up movie info online and get a litany of Penske empire links (Variety et al); those sites do employ good writers. Still, they are generally the bane of existence for culture, with its endless soulless clickbait, dry monopoly on top-tier interview subjects, and a pay-for-play culture that the big studios and big tech clearly underwrite. I’m writing a big article on this, more soon.
A quick roundup of repertory screenings... Close Encounters of the Third Kind is screening in 70mm at Directors Village tonight at 7 pm... The New Beverly has Taxi Driver all weekend, 35mm... Fritz Lang’s M at the Academy Museum on Saturday afternoon... Aliens in 70mm at Director’s Village... The Thin Red Line at the Academy Museum on Sunday afternoon… These are all incredible films, worth seeing big…
Here’s another job list. I hope this is helpful. Please reach out with any comments. We’d love to hear that this weekly addition is helping someone out there. We live in uncertain times. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Los Angeles Friday Production List
High Potential, Season 3
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 99/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Scripted television series
Phase: Final pre-production
Start Date: August 10, 2026
Estimated Wrap: March 23, 2027
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: Morgan Gillory, a single mother with exceptional deductive ability, works with the LAPD Major Crimes unit to solve cases through unconventional observation and reasoning.
Key Attachments: Kaitlin Olson, Daniel Sunjata, Judy Reyes, Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, Amirah J, and Matthew Lamb. Nora and Lilla Zuckerman are the Season 3 co-showrunners and executive producers. Drew Goddard, Sarah Esberg, and Kaitlin Olson also executive produce.
Companies: 20th Television, Goddard Textiles, ABC, Hulu.
Company Contact Information:
20th Television: 10201 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035; 310-369-1000.
Goddard Textiles: 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521; 818-560-4770; office@goddardtextiles.com.
Hiring Outlook: Immediate and high, though department-head and core positions are likely substantially staffed. The long run increases the probability of replacement, additional, day-player, second-unit, and episodic needs. The California Film Commission projects 144 California filming days and 350 crew hires, with about $93.1 million in qualified expenditures. The reported Los Angeles schedule runs August 10 through March 23.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Set operations, art and set decoration, construction, locations, grip and electric, transportation, wardrobe, hair and makeup, background coordination, production accounting, and episodic post-production.
Why It’s Notable: This is the strongest immediate opportunity in the scan by scale, duration, and proximity to camera start.
Intimacy Party
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 78/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: August 11, 2026
Estimated Wrap: September 3, 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: Cleo tries to save a faltering relationship by recreating the night she met her fiancé, only to realize she may have fallen for the wrong guest at the party.
Key Attachments: Courtney Hoffman is writer-director; Chris Leggett is producing. Chelsea Ellis Bloch and Marisol Roncali are casting directors.
Companies: Love & Anarchy LLC; Atomic Honey Casting.
Company Contact Information: Atomic Honey Casting casting@atomichoney.com publishes a no-unsolicited-submissions policy, so its general company channel should not be treated as an invitation to submit for this project.
Hiring Outlook: Immediate but lean. The California incentive record projects 20 filming days and 50 crew hires. The compressed schedule means any remaining needs are likely to be targeted and filled quickly.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Art and set decoration, locations, costume and continuity, assistant directors, background coordination, props, grip and electric, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: It has the nearest verified feature start and active casting, but its 50-person projected crew makes it a selective opportunity rather than a broad hiring wave.
Abbott Elementary, Season 6
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 84/100
Production Momentum: 🟡 Steady
Format: Scripted television series
Phase: Public pre-production listing under start-date recheck
Start Date: August 2026 public production window
Primary Shooting Locations: Los Angeles and Burbank
Plot: Teachers at an underfunded Philadelphia public school rely on one another as they contend with an indifferent district, demanding classrooms, and their own personal lives.
Key Attachments: Quinta Brunson is creator, star, writer, and executive producer. The publicly established ensemble includes Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Companies: Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Studio, 20th Television, ABC, Sad Unicorn, and Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions.
Company Contact Information:
Warner Bros. Television: 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, CA 91522; 818-954-6000; careers@warnerbros.com; company site.
20th Television: 10201 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035; 310-369-1000.
Hiring Outlook: High-scale but late-stage. Core crew is likely largely established. Public background casting for minors says production will work from August 2026 through February 2027, creating continuing needs around background, schooling and welfare, wardrobe, and episodic support. An earlier public alert cited August 1, but the current project page still carries the series in pre-production and no independent cameras-up confirmation was located. It remains in the active tracker under recheck rather than being classified as filming.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Background coordination, studio teachers and welfare workers, wardrobe, hair and makeup, set operations, props, transportation, construction, production accounting, and day-player coverage.
Why It’s Notable: A long-running network series offers duration and recurring needs, although the passed public target date makes start-status verification more important than broad cold outreach.
Snoop
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 95/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Live-action feature film
Phase: Pre-production
Start Date: Summer 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: The music biopic follows a young Calvin Broadus Jr. as he enters the early-1990s West Coast hip-hop scene and becomes Snoop Dogg.
Key Attachments: Jonathan Daviss stars as young Snoop. Craig Brewer directs from his revision of Joe Robert Cole’s script. Brian Grazer, Snoop Dogg, and Sara Ramaker produce.
Companies: Universal Pictures, Death Row Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, NBCUniversal Global Distribution.
Company Contact Information:
Universal Pictures: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608; 818-777-1000; info@nbcuni.com; nbcucareers@nbcuni.com; Universal Pictures.
Imagine Entertainment: 150 S. El Camino Drive, Suite 100, Beverly Hills, CA 90212; 310-858-2000; imaginejobs@imagine-entertainment.com; Imagine Entertainment.
Hiring Outlook: Very strong if the summer start remains intact. The California Film Commission projects 50 California filming days, 190 crew hires, and 3,577 background-player days. Production List still classifies the feature as pre-production and says it is gearing up in Los Angeles.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Period art and set decoration, locations, props, picture vehicles, costume, hair and makeup, background coordination, transportation, stunt support, music playback, clearance support, and visual effects.
Why It’s Notable: The combination of period Los Angeles, music-industry settings, a 190-person projected crew, and heavy background needs makes this one of the scan’s broadest feature opportunities.
My Darling California
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 94/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and budget finalization
Start Date: Late summer or September 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: Set in Los Angeles in 1980, a single crime entangles a television host, his restless wife, a country-music star, two small-time crooks, and an ex-con, all chasing a better life.
Key Attachments: Elijah Bynum writes and directs. The cast includes Chris Evans, Jessica Chastain, Chris Pine, Mikey Madison, Charles Melton, and Don Cheadle. Producers include David Hinojosa, Alex Coco, and Sébastien Raybaud. Publicly reported department heads include cinematographer Chayse Irvin, production designer Judy Becker, costume designer Erin Benach, and editor Leslie Jones.
Companies: Anton, 2AM, and 1Community are named across current public listings. Anton is financing and handling international sales.
Company Contact Information:
Anton: antonstudios.com.
2AM: 31 W. 27th Street, New York, NY 10001; 646-586-2750; info@2am.com.
Hiring Outlook: Strong. The California incentive record projects 37 California filming days and 110 crew hires. Period Los Angeles work and a multi-threaded ensemble should generate meaningful art, locations, wardrobe, vehicle, and logistical needs, although several department heads are already confirmed.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Art, construction, set decoration, graphics, props, locations, picture vehicles, costume, hair and makeup, transportation, assistant directors, background coordination, and accounting.
Why It’s Notable: It combines a confirmed Los Angeles incentive allocation, an unusually strong ensemble, and extensive 1980 period requirements.
Running Point, Season 3
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 90/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Scripted television series
Phase: Pre-production
Reported Start Date: September 14, 2026
Reported Wrap: November 24, 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: Isla Gordon continues running her family’s professional basketball franchise, the Los Angeles Waves, while navigating family power struggles, business pressures, and a new local rival team.
Key Attachments: Kate Hudson leads the series. The series was created by Mindy Kaling, Elaine Ko, David Stassen, and Ike Barinholtz.
Companies: Netflix, Kaling International, 3 Arts Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, and 23/34 Productions.
Company Contact Information:
Netflix Los Angeles: 5808 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028; 310-734-2900; lahiring@netflix.com; Netflix company site.
3 Arts Entertainment: 9460 Wilshire Boulevard, Seventh Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90212; 310-888-3200; hr@3arts.com.
Warner Bros. Television: 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, CA 91522; 818-954-6000; careers@warnerbros.com.
Hiring Outlook: Strong through late August and early September. The exact September 14 to November 24 schedule is reported rather than studio-issued, but it aligns with a separate current Los Angeles listing for a September start. Netflix has officially renewed the series.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Sports coordination, arena and location operations, art and set decoration, wardrobe, background, transportation, grip and electric, production sound, and production accounting.
Why It’s Notable: A returning ensemble comedy with sports environments should produce concentrated but broad departmental needs ahead of a September start.
Untitled Elizabeth Banks Apple TV Comedy Series
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 88/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Half-hour scripted comedy series
Phase: Pre-production
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: After a messy divorce, Heidi pursues a fresh start for herself and her children. Her efforts become complicated when she begins coordinating dates for residents of her father’s retirement community and is forced into an alliance with his girlfriend’s perpetually single son.
Key Attachments: Elizabeth Banks stars and executive produces. The ensemble includes Ted Danson, Katey Sagal, Rob Delaney, Hamish Linklater, Michelle Buteau, and Simu Liu. Liz Heldens and Matt Ward created the series and serve as showrunners. Jonathan Krisel directs the pilot and executive produces.
Companies: Apple TV, 20th Television, Brownstone Productions, Selfish Mermaid, and Small Dog Picture Company.
Company Contact Information:
Apple Studios: 8777 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232; 213-840-3397; snewberg@apple.com; Apple TV Press.
20th Television: 10201 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035; 310-369-1000.
Hiring Outlook: Strong but less immediate than the August-start projects. Apple confirms a Los Angeles shoot in 2026, while Production List currently carries the series in pre-production with 11 crew members listed publicly by count.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Stage operations, art and set decoration, construction, wardrobe, hair and makeup, transportation, locations, grip and electric, episodic accounting, and post-production.
Why It’s Notable: It is a confirmed Los Angeles series, not merely a pilot, with a growing ensemble and multiple producing banners already attached.
Additional verified scripted prep
Thoughtwave
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 73/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent science-fiction feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: October 1, 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Key Attachments: George Moïse is publicly listed as writer-director and casting director.
Company Contact Information: George Moïse (818) 667-1288 geormoise@gmail.com
Hiring Outlook: Moderate and newly actionable. The same-day project alert describes an intimate, fast-moving feature, so the likely crew build is selective rather than studio-scale.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Art, practical effects, visual-effects coordination, camera, grip and electric, sound, locations, wardrobe, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: This is the newest qualifying Los Angeles alert in the scan and has an exact October start.
Find Me Again
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 68/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: August 15, 2026
Estimated Wrap: September 6, 2026
Primary Shooting Locations: Los Angeles, Oakland, and Yosemite
Plot: An Oakland high-school senior takes a road trip through California with friends, following clues tied to his late mother while confronting grief and uncertainty about the future.
Key Attachments: Tom Huang is writer, director, and executive producer. Randy Kulina produces, and Alyssa Carter is casting director.
Hiring Outlook: Immediate but geographically distributed. Los Angeles is one portion of a 23-day California road shoot, so local needs are likely to be more concentrated than the full schedule suggests.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Locations, transportation, assistant directors, camera, grip and electric, sound, wardrobe, art, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: Its August 15 start creates a short closing window, with location-heavy work across several California regions.
Stranded on Death Row
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 64/100
Production Momentum: 🟡 Steady
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: October 1, 2026 public casting-breakdown date
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: A dramatization of the rise and fall of Death Row Records and the people caught inside its volatile history.
Key Attachments: Ryan Combs is publicly listed as writer-director, and Sherrie Henderson is casting director.
Company Contact Information: Sherrie Henderson, Dream Big Casting 323-463-4554 casting@dreambigcasting.com
Hiring Outlook: Moderate, with timing caution. The main current breakdown lists an October start, while an auxiliary role notice carried an earlier date, so the production calendar should be reconfirmed before outreach.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Period art and set decoration, costume, hair and makeup, music playback, locations, picture vehicles, camera, grip and electric, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: The subject matter suggests broad period and music-industry requirements, but the mixed public date trail keeps it below the higher-confidence features.
I Thought He Was with You
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 58/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: August 22, 2026
Estimated Wrap: September 27, 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles and nearby beach communities
Plot: A loose, intimate beach-town drama unfolds across a strange, sleepless weekend.
Key Attachments: Joaquin Dominguez producer.
Company Contact Information: mcuenca@blvdducinema.com casting@blvdducinema.com
Hiring Outlook: Small collaborative production, but the five-week window is longer than most micro-scale listings.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Night exterior support, locations, camera, sound, grip, electric, wardrobe, art, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: The public listing explicitly says it is seeking cast and crew.
None of My Friends Are Okay
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 52/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film under the SAG-AFTRA Micro Budget Agreement
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: August 28, 2026
Estimated Wrap: September 14, 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: A lonely couple stages a re-wedding to reunite a drifting friend group, only for the event to threaten those friendships.
Key Attachments: Patrick Henry Phelan writer/director; Clare Siobhan Byrne producer/writer; Nicole Marien casting director.
Company Contact Information: patrickhphelan@gmail.com nicoledoescasting@gmail.com
Hiring Outlook: Limited by the microbudget framework, with the best prospects in multi-hyphenate and compact-team roles.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Locations, art, costume, camera, sound, grip and electric, assistant directing, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: It has exact dates and a defined union framework.
The Understudy
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 57/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: September 1, 2026
Estimated Wrap: September 15, 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: An actress preparing for a lead theater role is kidnapped beneath the venue by a replacement understudy who intends to take over her life and career.
Companies: Spirit Media Films LLC.
Company Contact Information:
SPIRIT MEDIA FILMS LLC 23281 Ventura Blvd. Woodland Hills, CA 91364 323-803-3811
PEMRICK/FRONK CASTING Donald Paul Pemrick 23480 Park Sorrento, Suite 217A Calabasas, CA 91302 747-888-4674 pfcast@mindspring.com
Hiring Outlook: Selective two-week thriller shoot.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Theater locations, production design, lighting, camera, sound, stunt and safety support, special effects, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: This is a new, exact-dated Los Angeles listing published after the last tracker.
Sri
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 55/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: September 18, 2026
Estimated Wrap: September 30, 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: A couple at the breaking point is given an extraordinary chance to see their relationship from a different perspective.
Key Attachments: Jay Parikh directs and is handling casting; Justin Canel wrote the screenplay.
Companies: Nilanj Films LLC.
Company Contact Information:
NILANJ FILMS LLC 6050 Lexington Avenue, Apt. 5 Los Angeles, CA 90038
Hiring Outlook: Small and selective.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Camera, lighting, sound, locations, art, wardrobe, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: Exact September dates and active casting improve its near-term usefulness despite the likely compact crew.
Yolklore
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 49/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: September 12, 2026
Estimated Wrap: October 17, 2026
Primary Shooting Locations: Los Angeles and La Mirada
Plot: Students race rival teams to steal the Biola Egg in a coming-of-age campus heist.
Hiring Outlook: Weekend-only production, which may suit crew balancing weekday commitments but limits total workdays.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Campus locations, stunt support, art and props, camera, sound, grip and electric, wardrobe, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: It is newly listed since the baseline and has a precise weekend schedule.
Non Union: The Series
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 46/100
Production Momentum: 🟡 Steady
Format: Scripted pilot presentation
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: August 2026
Estimated Wrap: September 2026
Primary Shooting Locations: Van Nuys and Los Angeles
Plot: A comedy following a non-union film crew through a difficult day on set.
Company Contact Information:
Production banner: A Terrible Children Production Official website: nonuniontheseries.com
Hannah Lynn Gonzalez Executive producer and production designer hannahlynnfilms@gmail.com
Hiring Outlook: Limited, non-union, and concentrated on weekend soundstage work.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Stage support, camera, sound, lighting, art, wardrobe, hair and makeup, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: Its current listing shows an unusually visible 14-person crew roster count for a small pilot presentation.
Inhabited
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 55/100
Production Momentum: 🟡 Steady
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: August 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles studio zone
Plot: A family confronts a generational curse rooted in Bosnian folklore after a 12-year-old girl falls into a mysterious catatonic state.
Hiring Outlook: Fast-paced parity-agreement production with selective openings.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Horror makeup, practical effects, stunt and safety support, art, lighting, sound, locations, and production support.
Why It’s Notable: Supernatural material and a child lead create specialized needs even at a smaller scale.
Untitled Hawaii Project
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 42/100
Production Momentum: 🟡 Steady
Format: Independent feature film
Phase: Pre-production and casting
Start Date: September 23, 2026 in Kauai; Los Angeles unit scheduled for one week in October 2026
Primary Shooting Locations: Kauai and Los Angeles
Plot: A married couple faces an unexpected survival crisis that forces them to define their relationship.
Companies: Pelorus Productions.
Hiring Outlook: Low for Los Angeles because only one week is assigned to the market.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Local production support, locations, camera, sound, grip and electric, transportation, and art support.
Why It’s Notable: It creates a short, discrete Los Angeles unit rather than a full local feature run.
⭐ Long-Lead Radar Picks
The Dealer’s Daughter
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 88/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Live-action feature film
Phase: Pre-production and active casting
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Key Attachments: Nicole Lambert and Rachel Winter produce. David Chase and Terence Winter wrote the screenplay, and Avy Kaufman is handling casting.
Companies: Cold Front Productions, Riverain Pictures, and New Line Cinema.
Company Contact Information: New Line Cinema, 4000 Warner Boulevard, Building 76, Burbank, CA 91522; 818-977-6400; dave.neustadter@newline.com; New Line Cinema.
Hiring Outlook: Strong once the start window becomes public. The California incentive record projects 41 filming days, 115 crew hires, and 984 background-player days. A current SAG-AFTRA casting breakdown confirms that casting activity is underway.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Full feature production, including art and set decoration, construction, locations, camera, grip and electric, costume, hair and makeup, transportation, background coordination, and accounting.
Why It’s Notable: Casting activity and a quantified California incentive allocation show concrete momentum even without a public start date.
Gingerbread Men
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 91/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Independent live-action feature film
Phase: Development and early pre-production
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Key Attachments: Ben Affleck is publicly confirmed as director and producer.
Companies: Artists Equity.
Company Contact Information: Artists Equity, 2401 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405; info@artistsequity.com; artistsequity.com.
Hiring Outlook: Strong once a start window emerges. The state projects 32 filming days and 250 crew hires.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Full feature crew build, including production, art, construction, locations, camera, grip and electric, costume, transportation, and accounting.
Why It’s Notable: Affleck specifically confirmed that the film will shoot in Los Angeles, and the incentive allocation supports a much larger crew than its 32-day schedule might suggest.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Season 2
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 86/100
Production Momentum: 🟡 Steady
Format: Scripted television series
Phase: Development and pre-production
Reported Start Date: December 2026
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: Margo continues building a life for herself and her child while navigating family, money, and the unconventional online business that changed her circumstances.
Key Attachments: Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, and Nick Offerman; David E. Kelley is creator and showrunner.
Companies: Apple TV, A24, David E. Kelley Productions, Lewellen Pictures, and Blossom Films.
Company Contact Information: A24 Television, 750 N. San Vicente Boulevard, Red Building, West Tower, Floor 12, West Hollywood, CA 90069; 323-900-5300; infola@a24films.com. David E. Kelley Productions, 1600 Rosecrans Avenue, Building 4B, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266; 310-395-5828.
Hiring Outlook: Strong long-lead opportunity, with active hiring more likely to become visible in the fall.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Episodic production, locations, art and set decoration, wardrobe, camera, grip and electric, transportation, accounting, and post-production.
Why It’s Notable: Apple has officially renewed the series, and a current Los Angeles schedule source places the next season in December.
Donkey
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 83/100
Production Momentum: 🟢 Accelerating
Format: Animated feature film
Phase: Development and early animation production
Primary Production Location: Glendale
Plot: An origin story explaining how the character from the Shrek franchise became Donkey.
Key Attachments: Eddie Murphy returns as the voice of Donkey. Charlie Bean directs, Matt Flynn co-directs, and Rebecca Huntley produces.
Companies: DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures.
Company Contact Information: DreamWorks Animation, 1000 Flower Street, Glendale, CA 91201; dreamworks.com.
Hiring Outlook: Meaningful long-lead animation opportunity, particularly across story, visual development, modeling, rigging, layout, animation, lighting, effects, technical direction, and production management. The state projects 233 crew hires and about $54.7 million in qualified expenditures.
Why It’s Notable: It is a major franchise animation feature with a confirmed June 30, 2028 theatrical date and a California incentive allocation.
Matlock, Season 3
⭐ Crew Opportunity Score: 75/100
Production Momentum: 🔴 Slowing
Format: Scripted television series
Phase: Extended development and pre-production
Primary Shooting Location: Los Angeles
Plot: Madeline Matlock uses an unassuming manner and sharp legal instincts to win cases while exposing corruption.
Key Attachments: Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, Leah Lewis, Beau Bridges, and showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman.
Companies: CBS Studios, CBS Entertainment, and Cloud Nine Productions.
Company Contact Information: CBS Studios, 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, CA 91604; 818-655-1500; info@cbssc.com.
Hiring Outlook: Large eventual opportunity but not an immediate priority. The California incentive record projects 104 filming days and 325 crew hires, while the showrunner has publicly said she requested a midseason 2027 return to allow more time to build the new story.
Departments Most Likely Needed: Full returning-series departments once the revised schedule firms.
Why It’s Notable: Scale remains high, but the creative-timing delay makes it the clearest slowing project in this scan.
New Since Last Scan
Thoughtwave: Same-day addition published August 7, with casting underway and an October 1 Los Angeles start.
Find Me Again: Added after reconciling its August 15 road-shoot start and confirmed Los Angeles component.
Stranded on Death Row: Added as a timing-watch project after a current SAG-AFTRA breakdown listed an October 1 start.
The Understudy: First qualifying tracker appearance after its August 2 update, with a September 1 start.
Yolklore: First qualifying tracker appearance, with a September 12 weekend-production start.
None of My Friends Are Okay: Added to the tracker after reconciling the July 27 listing against the prior baseline.
Untitled Elizabeth Banks Apple TV Comedy: Elevated from general development watch to active Los Angeles pre-production after combining Apple’s official production announcement with the current Production List status.
Meaningfully updated: The Dealer’s Daughter now carries active casting evidence alongside its California incentive allocation. Sri now has exact September 18 through September 30 dates. Abbott Elementary has been moved to start-date recheck because its earlier August 1 target passed without independent cameras-up confirmation.
Moved Into Production and Removed From the Prep Tracker
13 Going on 30: The SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles production sheet lists June 23 through August 11, confirming that it was already filming and should not have remained in the prior prep tracker.
NCIS: Origins, Season 3: The SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles production sheet lists a July 20 start. It is removed from prep tracking.
Thasnagar / Untitled Daniels Project: Its reported Los Angeles schedule began August 3 and runs into October. It is removed from the prep tracker unless a verified delay surfaces.
A Hundred Percent: Public production reporting places filming from June 24 through August 7, so it is screened out of the active prep tracker.
I Suck at Girls: Public production reporting places filming from July 16 through October 16, so it is screened out of the active prep tracker.
Crew Alerts
Immediate: High Potential starts August 10. Any remaining work is likely to be additional, replacement, day-player, second-unit, background, or vendor-driven.
Immediate: Intimacy Party starts August 11. The 50-person projected crew and short schedule make this a fast-closing window.
Immediate: Find Me Again starts August 15. The Los Angeles portion is part of a multi-region road shoot, so local outreach should be specific and fast.
Start-status recheck: Abbott Elementary’s earlier August 1 target has passed. Public listings still show pre-production and background work through February 2027, but cameras-up status needs independent confirmation.
Late summer: Snoop remains in pre-production with a 190-person projected crew. The lack of an exact public start date raises the urgency of monitoring company and union channels.
Late summer to September: My Darling California is the strongest period-feature build, with 110 projected crew hires and confirmed 1980 Los Angeles requirements.
Early September: Running Point’s reported September 14 start makes late August the likely final broad outreach window.
Long lead: The Dealer’s Daughter has active casting and 115 projected crew hires, while Thoughtwave has a newly published October 1 start.Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading. More to come. Please subscribe.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.