Lights, camera, tax credits! – Capitol News IL

Expanded Film Tax Credits Could Bring Billions to Illinois. Are Taxpayers Getting a Good Deal?

Expanded Film Tax Credits Could Bring Billions to Illinois. Are Taxpayers Getting a Good Deal? Beth Hundsdorf… Mon, 09/28/2026 - 16:17 Casey Toner — Illinois Answers Project When developer Christopher Breakwell came to Wood River last year, he was selling a glittery dream to a gritty, blue-collar southwestern Illinois town in search of a renaissance — a Hollywood-style studio that would thrive in the shadows of aging refineries. He envisions bui…

Lights, camera, tax credits! – Capitol News IL

A developer is preparing to convert a series of old warehouses into studios in Wood River in the Metro East that would use local and out-of-town labor. He envisions a $95 million development that would provide sound stages to film production companies lured to the state by new legislation that allows them 45 percent of their expenditures or more back in income tax credits.

As lawmakers boost movie industry, academics say taxpayers foot the bill

When developer Christopher Breakwell came to Wood River last year, he was selling a glittery dream to a gritty, blue-collar southwestern Illinois town in search of a renaissance — a Hollywood-style studio that would thrive in the shadows of aging refineries. He envisions building a $95 million development that would provide sound stages to film...