Hollywood actor Zachary Levi is making big changes in his life. As Hollywood struggles, he’s planning something new in Texas. The Shazam! star, recently shared that he wants to help bring more movie and TV production to Austin, Texas. In an interview with Variety, he said that more and more productions are leaving California.
Levi has spoken out against the COVID vaccine, which upset many people in Hollywood. He also supported Donald Trump, which made things even harder for him in the industry.
“I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions,” he said. He also admitted he doesn’t know exactly who these people are. Levi explained that he expected this might happen when he started sharing his views, saying, “I didn’t make this decision blindly or casually.”
Levi’s new plan is to start a film company in Texas called Wyldwood Studios. He wants to do this as Hollywood faces tough times, and other places are becoming more appealing for making movies. Texas is offering a lot of money to improve its film industry, and Levi wants to be part of that.
“Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks and all those O.G.s knew it over 100 years ago. Hollywood was broken then, and we needed a better system,” Levi explained. “This industry is crumbling around us. In order for us to survive, we need to have a space for artists that will foster certified organic human-made content,” he said. “AI is about to be the nail in the coffin. And we wonder why L.A. has become the Detroit of the entertainment industry.”
Levi has already moved to Texas, leaving California behind. He’s not alone—other famous people like Joe Rogan and Woody Harrelson have also moved there. Levi thinks his studio idea in Texas could really work.
“While there are some people who might prefer not to work with me anymore, there’s a lot of people on that side of the political spectrum who are even more inclined to hire me and to want to do business with me because ‘I need some people who voted another way,’” Levi said.
“They see that what I did was at great risk. And they were like, ‘You know what? I give you a lot of props for that because that’s not an easy thing to do.’ And I go, ‘I appreciate that.’” He also said he’s heard from many people in the industry who appreciate what he’s done. “I’ve gotten messages from lots of people who I won’t name but who were very grateful to me for taking the stand that I took,” he said.
Right now, Levi is working hard to raise $40 million to start his project. He plans to build two large soundstages, two amphitheaters, a small hotel, cabins, and a farm-to-table restaurant on 76 acres of land he bought along the Colorado River.
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English (US) · 