A large-scale studio production currently filming on Ocean Avenue has become the largest production Film Santa Monica has coordinated since taking over the city's permitting duties — and the largest in Santa Monica's history, according to Evan Edwards, chief operating officer of Film Santa Monica.
"Not only the largest production Film Santa Monica has coordinated since becoming the city's official film office, but also the largest productions in the city's history," Edwards said. "The scope of this project demonstrates the confidence major studios have in Santa Monica as a premier filming destination. It also reflects the strength of the collaborative relationships we've built with City departments, public safety partners, residents, and the production community."
"Paris Paramount" is filming at the Fairmont Miramar and is closing a section of Ocean Ave for several days during the shoot. It follows a young filmmaker who falls for a producer, according to a plot description. After the pair make several hit films together, they break up — only to be forced back into each other's orbit to complete a high-profile project featuring volatile movie stars.
The film's cast includes Penélope Cruz, Owen Wilson, Jude Law, Tony Hale, Kieran Culkin, Beverly D'Angelo, Erin Doherty and Apple Martin. Meyers, whose credits include "Private Benjamin," "Baby Boom," "Father of the Bride," "The Parent Trap," "Something's Gotta Give," "The Holiday," "It's Complicated" and "The Intern," is directing.
Edwards called the shoot "an exciting moment for Santa Monica," noting the city's coastline and neighborhoods have long featured in Hollywood productions. She said Film Santa Monica is working with the City of Santa Monica, residents, businesses and the production team to keep the project "thoughtfully coordinated, responsibly managed, and ultimately a success for everyone involved."
The production arrives as Santa Monica settles into a new system for handling film permits. Film Santa Monica, a division of Santa Monica Travel and Tourism, took over permitting duties after the City Council awarded it a three-year contract last year, ending the city's longstanding arrangement with FilmLA, the nonprofit that has coordinated permitting across much of Los Angeles County since 1995. The city had outsourced the function to FilmLA since 2013 because of the volume and complexity of requests.
Film Santa Monica charges processing fees to applicants for permit coordination, marketing, notification, monitoring and complaint-referral services tied to filming on public property and in city facilities.
Edwards said folding permitting into Film Santa Monica, rather than keeping it separate, has been key to landing productions of this size. "By integrating permitting with destination marketing through Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, we're able to actively promote Santa Monica to studios, production companies, and location managers while simultaneously providing the operational expertise needed to execute complex productions," she said. She described the Film Santa Monica team as offering "white-glove concierge-style service" focused solely on filming in the city, adding that close coordination with city departments "ensures productions receive responsive support while minimizing impacts to residents and businesses." The result, she said, is "a more efficient permitting process, stronger partnerships, increased production activity and greater economic impact for the Santa Monica community."
Asked whether other major productions are lined up, Edwards was circumspect but optimistic. "While we're not able to discuss productions before they're publicly announced, we're encouraged by the continued demand and expect to welcome additional high-profile projects in the months ahead," she said, adding that Film Santa Monica was created to make the city "one of California's most film-friendly destinations, and we're already seeing the results."
Edwards said the shift is also changing how the industry views Santa Monica. "In the past, the city was often viewed as a destination with significant permitting challenges and red tape," she said. "Today, we're consistently hearing from studios and location managers that Santa Monica is one of the most responsive, collaborative, and film-friendly jurisdictions in Southern California." She credited the turnaround to the partnerships Film Santa Monica has built and what he called its "service-first approach." Marketing, she said, is central to that effort: "We aren't simply processing permits we're telling Santa Monica's story to the entertainment industry."
The Ocean Avenue shoot lands amid a broader struggle for Los Angeles-area production. FilmLA reported 5,121 shoot days countywide in the first quarter of 2026, up 10.7% from the previous quarter but down 3.3% from a year earlier and nearly 30% below the five-year average. Feature film shooting rebounded sharply, rising 52.3% year-over-year, while reality TV production fell 52.2% year-over-year, its steepest decline of any category. Full-year 2025 shoot days totaled 19,694, down 16.1% from 2024 and the lowest total outside of pandemic-affected 2020.
The region continues losing ground to competitors. Per FilmLA's 2024 Scripted Content Study, Los Angeles hosted just 18.3% of the 857 U.S. scripted releases filmed that year, down from 21.9% in 2022, with Georgia and the United Kingdom close behind. Los Angeles County motion-picture employment fell from about 142,000 jobs at the end of 2022 to roughly 100,000 at the end of 2024, a loss of about 42,000 jobs.
State lawmakers have responded. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in mid-2025 more than doubling California's Film & TV Tax Credit cap from $330 million to $750 million and expanding eligibility to animation, sitcoms and large-scale competition shows. FilmLA's Q1 2026 report found 147 projects had been awarded credits under the expanded program, accounting for nearly 7% of shoot days.
Still, economists have cautioned the credit expansion won't fully restore prior production volumes, and stage occupancy across the Los Angeles area has continued to decline from its pre-2023 highs. Some production activity appears to be shifting within the region rather than returning to it, with shoots increasingly relocating to areas outside the city of Los Angeles.