Marvel is doubling down on New York as a filming site for its super hero adventures.
ALBANY — Two mighty forces have teamed up to flex economic muscle — Marvel and New York State.
As part of an agreement announced Monday by Gov. Cuomo, the comic book giant will produce an additional 75 episodes of its Netflix offerings, including its « Marvel’s The Defenders » miniseries, in New York.
The new episodes are an extension of a deal that Marvel Television, which is part of The Walt Disney Company, Netflix and the Cuomo administration first announced in 2014. The original pact called for just 60 episodes to be filmed in New York, administration officials said.
« New York is home to world-class entertainment talent and opportunities, and this historic commitment from Disney and Marvel Television studios underscores our position as the film and television capital of the world, » Cuomo said.
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In addition to Marvel’s « The Defenders, » shows that will be shot in New York include “Daredevil, ” “Jessica Jones, ” “Luke Cage, ” “Iron Fist, ” and a new series entitled “The Punisher.”
Cuomo hailed the announcement as a success for the state’s film production tax credit, which offers refundable tax credits to film and television production companies that operate in the state. The program costs taxpayers $420 million annually.
“These productions will result in thousands of new hires and infuse our economy as we continue our momentum across the state, ” Cuomo said.
Fiscal watchdogs, however, have blasted the credit as an unnecessary subsidy to the entertainment industry.
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“New York already is an attractive location to production companies, ” said E. J. McMahon, research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy.
McMahon said the money would be better spent on other priorities, such as mass transit.
“There is an opportunity cost, ” McMahon said. “If some of the billions that have been spent over the years on the film and tax credit were spent instead on upgrading the subway’s signal system, this might have been the cool summer instead of the summer of hell.”
Cuomo administration officials argue the program has sparked $17 billion in economic activity and created more than one million jobs since Cuomo took office in 2011.
