President-elect Donald Trump has enlisted Hollywood icons Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as “special ambassadors” to help revitalize domestic film and television production. Trump announced the appointments in a Truth Social post on Thursday, pledging to bring Hollywood productions back to the U.S. and promising a return to what he called the “Golden Age of Hollywood.”
“They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” Trump wrote. “These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”
Trump’s announcement comes amid growing concern over Hollywood’s increasing reliance on foreign countries for film and TV production due to their generous tax incentives. Countries like the U.K., Canada, and Australia have aggressively courted Hollywood productions with attractive financial rebates. For example, the U.K. allows productions to recover up to 25% of their qualifying expenditures, while Canada and Australia offer tax rebates exceeding 30%, making them hotspots for big-budget projects and visual effects work.
In recent years, major Hollywood blockbusters such as Jurassic World 4, Mission: Impossible 7, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps have been filmed overseas, lured by these incentives. The U.S., meanwhile, has seen states compete to retain Hollywood dollars through their own tax credit programs. California, long considered the epicenter of the entertainment industry, recently expanded its annual production incentives from $330 million to $750 million, totaling $3.75 billion over five years starting in 2025. Despite this, it’s still difficult to match the incentives offered by countries with no annual caps, like Georgia.
Trump’s focus on reviving Hollywood production suggests the possibility of a federal production tax incentive, an idea long lobbied for by industry trade groups. A federal incentive could allow filmmakers to stack state and federal subsidies, making U.S. production more competitive on the global stage.
It remains unclear what specific roles Voight, Gibson, and Stallone will play as Trump’s Hollywood ambassadors, but the trio represents a nostalgic nod to America’s cinematic legacy. Voight, a longtime Trump supporter, has often praised the former president’s policies, while Gibson, despite controversies, remains a prominent figure in Hollywood. Stallone, a household name thanks to iconic roles in Rocky and Rambo, is no stranger to industry politics and would likely bring star power to Trump’s efforts.
