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- A documentary on the Great Salt Lake and a comedy starring Charlie Day are set to film in Utah.
- These projects, alongside an HGTV show, are expected to support over 100 jobs and generate $3 million in impact.
- The Utah Film Commission supports these productions through state-approved incentives.
SALT LAKE CITY — A new documentary about the Great Salt Lake and a dark comedy set to star Charlie Day and Allison Williams are among the new productions set to film in Utah soon, while an HGTV reality show also plans to film in the state.
Utah Board of Tourism Development officials recently approved incentives for three projects, which are expected to support over 100 new jobs and generate an economic impact of $3 million, Utah Film Commission officials said on Friday.
A new Great Salt Lake documentary
Producers Geralyn Dreyfous and Nicole Docta are teaming up on the Great Salt Lake documentary, which has yet to land a name. Dreyfous founded the Utah Film Center and has had a hand in numerous award-winning documentaries like "Born into Brothels," "The Invisible War" and "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
Emmy and Peabody-award-winning director Erika Cohn is also slated to direct the documentary, which aims to highlight the lake's history and current struggles after it reached an all-time low two years ago.
"We're creating a film about Great Salt Lake because we are invested in our community, the environment and our future here," Cohn said in a statement Friday.
It wasn't immediately clear if the documentary would be tied to the state's desire to highlight the Great Salt Lake through cinema or if it would pad onto documentaries in the works. Gov. Spencer Cox said in 2022 that Utah would work to create a new documentary highlighting the lake.
"We want people to fall in love with the lake again, the way people have fallen in love with Zion National Park and Arches National Park," the governor said at the time.
2 other productions come to Utah
Meanwhile, a new movie and an HGTV show are also slated to shoot in Utah soon.
"Kill Me," written and directed by Peter Warren, is set to star Williams — known for roles in "Get Out," "Girls," and "M3GAN" — and Day, of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Horrible Bosses" fame.
The movie is currently in preproduction, according to IMDb. Williams and Day are the only cast currently attached to the forthcoming flick. The comedy is being produced by Matt Miller, who has previously overseen projects filmed in the Beehive State.
"We've experienced the incredible support of the Utah Film Commission," Miller said, of those previous experiences. "Utah has been an essential part of our storytelling and we are so grateful for the opportunity to once again showcase this amazing location in our work."
HGTV's "Help! I Wrecked My House" is the other production set to receive state film incentives, as it plans to shoot its fifth season in Utah. The decision was made after the show's host, Jasmine Roth, and her family recently moved to Park City, said Liz Kerrigan, senior vice president of current programming for RTR Media.
"(Roth will) embark on an exciting new adventure, rebuilding her design and build a company from the ground up and helping a whole new city of homeowners who have wrecked their homes," Kerrigan added.
Friday's announcement comes as Utah wraps up celebrations of the film industry's 100th anniversary in the state. It all started with "The Covered Wagon," which — fitting to Friday's announcement — was filmed on Antelope Island surrounded by the Great Salt Lake.
The Utah Film Commission oversees an incentives program that keeps productions in the state.
