Utah Film Commission today announced the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) Board approval of two new projects for state film incentives, generating an estimated economic impact of $7 million and creating over 220 local jobs.
Good Joe Bell
‘Good Joe Bell’ will begin shooting in April with filming to take place in Tooele, Salt Lake and Summit counties. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (‘Monsters and Men’) and starring Mark Wahlberg, Connie Britton and Reid Miller.
‘Good Joe Bell’ tells the true story of Oregonian father Joe Bell who sets out on a walk across America with his son, Jadin. The film is written by Academy Award® winners Diana Ossana (‘Brokeback Mountain’) and Larry McMurtry (‘Brokeback Mountain’). Daniela Taplin Lundberg (‘Honey Boy, The Kids Are All Right’) of Stay Gold, Riva Marker and Jake Gyllenhaal of Nine Stories (‘Stronger,’ ‘Wildlife’), Eva Maria Daniels of Vision Chaos, Cary Fukunaga of Parliament Of Owls (‘Beasts of No Nation’), Ryan Ahrens of Argent Pictures (‘Hacksaw Ridge’), Mark Wahlberg, and Stephen Levinson are producing the film. Rhea Films and Argent Pictures are co-financing the film.
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To
‘My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To’ has been approved under the Community Film Incentive Program, supporting smaller, local projects. The narrative feature is estimated to spend $142,000 and will be filming in Salt Lake, Wasatch, Summit, Weber and Davis counties.
Producer Kenny Riches commented, “Showing filmmakers what Utah has to offer and producing a film in my home state has been extremely exciting. We have hardworking, passionate crew here that have embraced our project and have eagerly shown their support. We’re very much looking forward to capturing the character of our unique state.”
About the Utah Film Commission
As a part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Utah Film Commission markets the entire state as a destination for film, television and commercial production by promoting the use of professional local crew and talent, support services, Utah locations and the Motion Picture Incentive Program. The office also serves as liaison to the film industry, facilitating production needs across the state.
More than 1,400 productions have been filmed in Utah, including ‘Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid,’ ‘Thelma and Louise,’ and ‘127 Hours,’ to list a few. Many episodic series have also filmed in Utah, such as ‘Touched by an Angel,’ ‘Andi Mack’ and ‘Westworld.’