Three Major Film and TV Productions Boost Hawaii's Economy in 2026

Netflix's second season of "Untamed," Jason Momoa's action-comedy "Protecting Jared," and the third film in the "Jumanji" franchise have all begun filming across the islands, marking one of the busiest periods for local production in recent years. For a state industry that spent much of 2025 without a major network-scale show, the turnaround carries real economic stakes for Kauai vendors, crew and small businesses.

Gov. Josh Green praised the projects for "bringing global attention and real economic opportunity to our islands," saying the productions "create hundreds of jobs for local crew, actors and vendors, while supporting small businesses across our communities — from catering and transportation to equipment, hotels and construction." Green added that "the film industry is a key part of Hawaii's creative economy, allowing talented local storytellers and technicians to build careers here at home."

"Protecting Jared" has been filming on Oahu between February 17 and April 21, 2026. The plot follows William Ikaika (Momoa), a Hawaiian security guard who is forced to defend both himself and Jared Bachman (Samberg), a despised tech billionaire, when a dangerous kidnapping scheme erupts. The cast also includes Jai Courtney and Aimee Carrero. Ruben Fleischer is directing, based on a screenplay by Rob Klein and John Solomon. Meanwhile, Hawaii favorite Dwayne Johnson is set to return as Dr. Xander "Smolder" Bravestone in the next installment of the "Jumanji" franchise.

The economic ripple from even a single production stretches far beyond the set. Hawaii State Film Commissioner Donne Dawson said those impacts extend far beyond the hiring of local talent. "Any given series can have 1,200 vendors and they're all local," she said. "The cast and crew have to live somewhere, they have to shop, and they pay GET on everything." Major productions, she added, spend heavily on everything from cars and housing to medical services to food and catering.

James Tokioka, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said in a statement: "Keeping Hawaii primed for production to meet and continually attract these opportunities is essential to our creative economy and workforce and for generating the positive impacts productions have across other key sectors."

The current surge arrives against a backdrop of hard lessons about what happens when Hawaii loses the competition for location dollars. When Momoa's Apple TV+ series "Chief of War" premiered last August, Momoa said he would have shot all nine episodes in Hawaii if the costs had penciled out; instead, most of the production moved to New Zealand, taking the jobs and spending with it. After major series including "Magnum P.I." and "NCIS Hawaii" wrapped, statewide production spending dropped to $179 million in 2024, from $333 million in 2022.

That loss looms large as lawmakers consider raising the state's film tax credit and per-production cap, reforms that nearly passed last year before dying in committee. Industry leaders say the decisions the Legislature makes this session will affect Hawaii's competitiveness for years. Georja Skinner, chief officer at DBEDT's Creative Industries Division, said "studios budget years in advance and incentives are key to planning where productions choose to shoot on location."

Dawson has been direct about what the moment demands. "Series are incredibly important — that's the part of the market we really need to rebuild," she said, adding: "The benefit of passing a credit this year will be fiscally responsible in bringing business to the state, and keeping our people here rather than having them leave to find work elsewhere.