​​Baton Rouge film production spending nearly tripled this year. Here’s what movies are in the making.

Film productions based in Baton Rouge have spent about $81.5 million this year, compared to about $28.3 million last year.

That’s the highest total since at least 2017. The increase can be attributed to pent-up demand following the COVID limitations of 2020, when total spending was less than $600,000, and the need to create content for streaming services, says Baton Rouge Film Commission Executive Director Katie Pryor.

“I think streaming is now the new cultural norm,” she says. “You’re always going to have increased demand.”

Major Baton Rouge-based projects this year include:

• National Treasure: Edge of History, a series for Disney+
• The Iron Claw, an A24 feature film starring Zac Efron
• Half Baked 2, a Universal Studios sequel to the 1998 comedy
• Family Christmas (working title), a made-for-TV movie

This story originally appeared in a Nov. 14 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.