‘Chief of War’ expected to be ‘life-changing’ for Hawaii’s film, TV production industry

Jason Momoa in 'Chief of War'

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The long-awaited global debut of the Apple TV+ miniseries “Chief of War” is just over a week away.

The Jason Momoa-led production showcasing the unification of the islands is expected to be a big hit, and state leaders are already brimming with optimism on its potential impact for Hawaii as a film and television destination.

“I think it’s absolutely intelligent to understand that the film industry and what ‘Chief of War’ is about to do for the world and for Hawaii,” said award-winning filmmaker Vince Keala Lucero. “It’s gonna be life-changing for a lot of people, for the state, for Hawaiians, for the lahui, everybody.”

Many say the revitalization couldn’t come at a better time.

Following the recent cancellations of “Rescue HI-Surf” and “NCIS: Hawaii,” there are no major TV series or feature films actively shooting in the islands, which is a massive hit to a sector that last year generated over $320 million for the state’s economy.

Lucero helped form the Hawaii Film Alliance to unite industry professionals.

“Hawaii film people are resilient. They’re tough,” Lucero said. “Tough people last, tough times don’t. So by doing that, we can just make this a better industry for everybody.”

Part of the reason why there are fewer big screen projects in the state are the tax credits involved.

There’s currently a 22% tax credit for productions filmed on Oahu, 27% for those done on the neighbor islands.

This past legislative session, lawmakers deferred a bill that would have raised that incentive.

Gov. Josh Green said Monday morning on Sunrise, he’s looking at expanding the credit and is exploring a cultural clause, which would be advantageous to “Chief of War.”

Despite featuring the story of Hawaii’s history and prominently featuring the Hawaiian language, producers tell Hawaii News Now 80% of the series was shot in New Zealand.

“That show should be filmed as much as humanly possible in Hawaii,” Green said. “They did some filming always in New Zealand, because it’s easier in some ways to film in other countries. We want cultural films that represent Hawaii to be filmed here exclusively.”

That change would be a victory for the Hawaii industry and the thousands that rely on it.

“We had 3,000 people at the opening, but many of those individuals were on the film crew,” Green said. “Like key grips, writers, directors and producers. We want a whole generation of Hawaiian kids, in many cases, from the west side where Jason (Momoa) comes from, involved in this new industry and opportunity.”

“Chief of War” makes its worldwide premiere Aug. 1.