Following an intense months-long standoff between producers and state officials, “House of Cards” production will remain in Maryland, after all.
The show’s production company Media Rights Capital has reached an agreement with the state government to receive $11.5 million in tax incentives and grants of the $15 million rebate it sought to keep the Netflix series in its original place of filming. The first sum will come from the 2014 Film Production Tax Credit program, while the grants will be taken from the state’s 2015 fiscal year budget.
The show received about $26 million in tax credits for its first two seasons.
In the final days of his term, Gov. Martin O’Malley, who led the negotiations to keep the Kevin Spacey drama in Maryland, wrote Friday on his blog that the Old Line State will be keeping the 3,700 jobs and $100 million that the show generates.
“Media Rights Capital has been a great supporter of the people and entertainment community in Maryland, and we couldn’t be happier to continue our partnership,” O’Malley said in the blog post.
He also noted that the $11.5 million is “less than the production qualified for, but enough to keep the hit franchise in Maryland.”
Maryland passed legislation to raise the amount of tax credits a single show could receive, but the “House of Cards” legislation failed at the last minute during a recent legislative session.
“‘House of Cards’ is the gift that keeps on giving, having injected hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy while also helping to provide thousands of jobs to our Maryland community,” co-CEO of MRC, Asif Satchu, said in a statement.
Production on the third season, which had been delayed, will resume over the next few months.
