#John Wells
Year of opportunity kicks off for Hawaiʻi’s creative economy and film industry
Last week, a Hawaiian blessing for the Season 2 production launch of “UNTAMED”marked the popular Netflix series’ shift to its new setting of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, with the production shooting on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. Additionally, “Jumanji 3” has geared up shoot dates on O‘ahu, with Sony announcing a release date in December 2026. Further, Netflix feature “Protecting Jared” teams up Hawai‘i’s Jason Momoa with Andy Samberg in an action-comedy now filming on O‘ahu, following a Hawaiian security guard (Momoa) forced to defend himself and a tech billionaire (Samberg) when a kidnapping scheme erupts.
“Rescue: HI-Surf” TV series rides high ratings wave; taps exclusively Hawaiʻi hires for specialized water unit
Hawai‘i-based television series “Rescue: HI-Surf” is TV’s highest rated fall drama to debut in six years, with its Sept. 22 premiere on FOX television network reaching 4.7 million viewers per Nielsen’s fast national ratings. The John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and FOX Entertainment co-production hired a local Hawai‘i producer and sourced the vast majority of the crew from Hawai‘i, including 100% of the water unit hires for the series. “Rescue: HI-Surf” continues now in its regular Monday time slot, airing in Hawai‘i at 8 p.m. on FOX affiliate KHON.
