GOED incentive hopes to keep 'Yellowstone' production in Utah

Yellowstone is not in Utah, but state officials are working to keep “Yellowstone” here.

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) board, at its July meeting, approved a $7 million tax credit incentive for Viacom as a way to keep the Paramount Network TV series shooting in the state.

An official announcement that the series would be picked up for a second season was expected to occur last week but it had not been made by press time.

Kevin Costner has the lead role in the series, which follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton (Costner). The family controls the largest contiguous ranch in the U.S. and must contend with constant attacks by land developers, clashes with an Indian reservation and conflict with Yellowstone National Park.

Set in Montana and partially shot there, the 10-episode first season premiered June 20. The production used the entirety of the Utah Film Studio in Park City and portions of the show were shot in Summit and Wasatch counties and Ogden.

In July 2017, the GOED board approved a tax credit incentive of more than $7.1 million for Fire and Ice Productions Inc. for the first season of “Yellowstone.” The incentive was based on the production spending about $28.5 million in Utah.

The incentive for the second season is based on the production spending nearly $28.2 million in Utah and involving 140 cast, 180 crew and 1,450 extras, according to GOED documents. Principal photography would take place Aug. 20-Nov. 29.

Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission, told the GOED board that her office had been working with production officials for three months to try to get the second season shot in Utah.

“We were a little unsure whether we were going to be able to pull it off with our incentive because it is a big project,” she said. “The visibility that it has, the quality of the content, the quality of the people in it really does help us further our reputation in the industry overall, and it’s a good investment.”

Directed by Taylor Sheridan and produced by John Linson and Michael Polaire, “Yellowstone” has been a ratings hit. Deadline reported that three episodes into the first season, it was the second-most-watched TV series on ad-supported cable in 2018, trailing only “The Walking Dead.” The two-hour series premiere averaged 2.8 million viewers and became the most-watched original scripted series telecast ever on Paramount Network or its predecessor, Spike. Two encore airings of the premiere brought the episode’s audience total to about 4.8 million.

Also during its July meeting, the GOED board approved a cash rebate incentive of up to $131,036 to Willard LLC for “Willard,” a family feature expected to spend $655,184 in Utah County. “Willard” is expected to have 36 cast, 42 crew and 150 extras. Principal photography is set for Aug. 28-Sept. 21. The director is T.C. Christensen, who also produces along with Ron Tanner.