The HBO crime thriller Task will return to Pennsylvania along with star Mark Ruffalo for a second season, thanks in part to generous support from the state.
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Film Office announced that Task will receive a record $49.8 million tax credit, the largest amount the state has granted to a single production.
The effort is expected to bring about 3,700 jobs to Pennsylvania as HBO estimates investing $194.1 million into the state economy, including hiring local crews and paying for hotel accommodations.
The first season, which filmed in and around Philadelphia, hired 777 Pennsylvanians as local crew, cast members, and background players for 177 days, bringing $230 million to the region, as reported by the Greater Philadelphia Film Office earlier this month.
Task comes from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby, the writer from Berwyn who has developed a reputation for putting Delco (and Philly) crime stories on national television. Last week, HBO announced the popular show would return for a second season, which is expected to film primarily in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The tax credit is part of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s efforts to bring more TV and film productions to Pennsylvania.
“This is the largest tax credit we’ve ever awarded to one show, and we’re proud to support another returning series by homegrown storyteller Brad Ingelsby through the Film Production Tax Credit Program,” said Pennsylvania Film Commissioner Gino Anthony Pesi in a statement.
“The Shapiro administration understands that supporting productions like Task have a powerful impact on Pennsylvania’s creative economy through the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, while also giving new opportunities to local businesses in the southeastern region.”
Ingelsby has been committed to “investing in authenticity” through not only writing film and TV scripts that are based in the Philadelphia region, but pushing for his productions to shoot on location as much as possible.
“There is value in shooting something where it’s set — it will bring something to the production, to the characters, to the emotion that you just can’t emulate somewhere else,” Ingelsby told The Inquirer in September.
“The locations in and around Philadelphia add an invaluable level of authenticity to the series,” said Janet Graham Borba, HBO’s executive vice president of production, in the statement. “Furthermore, the opportunity to bring a production of this caliber to Pennsylvania and provide jobs to its citizens and businesses is extremely gratifying to Brad Ingelsby and all of us at HBO.”
Shooting with Pennsylvania crews also had an impact on the Task cast: Some actors, including Emilia Jones, who played Maeve Prendergrast, bonded with crew members, who also helped them learn that difficult-to-nail Delco accent.
