Hollywood TV shows and movies are scrambling due to the California wildfires.
TV shows and movies are on the search for new filming locations as permits become scarce due to the Woolsey Fires, which have burnt nearly 100,000 acres stretching from Malibu to Thousand Oaks. Meanwhile, film industry veterans become victims to the wildfire, “I watched my house in an inferno on TV,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Buildings at Paramount Ranch, which is the filming location for HBO’s hit drama Westworld, were among the more than 700 buildings destroyed in the Southern California wildfire. Several TV shows and movies halted production due to the fire including Comedy Central’s Drunk History and Zach Galifianakis’ untitled Netflix film was shut down mid-shoot when the Fire Department ordered the cast and crew to evacuate.
With Paramount Ranch burnt down, it is unclear whether HBO’s Westworld will return to the location in future seasons. California’s Deputy State Fire Marshal Ramiro Rodriguez told The Hollywood Reporter, “It would take years for the beauty of that particular ranch to come back to its full luster, and that’s the unfortunate aspect of it.”
According to the nonprofit FilmL.A., which tracks production in the county, two of the 50 film ranches operating in the area were damaged: Paramount Ranch and Calamigos Ranch.
Productions are working on shooting workarounds. There has also been a demand in calls from location scouts to keep their projects on time and under budget. Moreover, law enforcement officials have been forced to focus on the wildfires and could not officiate film permits, as they typically do.
