Despite the failure of legislators to pass the movie tax credit bill in Carson City last year, the Nevada film industry found other ways to find screentime, whether in movie theaters or homes.
Of the evolving Las Vegas film scene, local director/writer JT Mollner had the biggest success in 2025. He wrote the screen adaptation for Stephen King's 1979 novella The Long Walk, which opened in nearly 3,000 North American theaters last September. It earned widespread critical acclaim, and made the yearly top 10 list of local film writer/critic — and Desert Companion contributor — Josh Bell.
"[Mollner] did an excellent job of adapting this dystopian story about a walk to the death, essentially, for these characters, into something that is resonant today, and I think that's a reason why so many other critics liked it as well," Bell said. "It is unfortunately a timely story about an authoritarian government that uses this spectacle to distract the public from terrible things, but also it has this kind of retro-futuristic style to it that I thought was really appropriate for a novel that was written in the 1970s and originally as an allegory for the Vietnam War. Mollner's screenplay captures exactly what it needs to balance between those original intentions and something that's relevant for current audiences."
As for the city, Las Vegas' biggest moment came via F1, the Brad Pitt Formula 1 movie, which used actual racing footage from the 2023 and 2024 F1 races on the Strip. The film grossed nearly $625 million at the international box office.
Other notable moments for the Nevada film industry include:
- Las Vegas-based filmmakers Bobby and Renee Peoples made eight feature films in 2025, and they have more in store for 2026.
- Local personalities Danny Gans, Susan Powter, Sabu, and Vinnie Favorito were all the subject of their own documentaries in 2025.
- Former local Brandon Christensen released his latest original horror movie, Night of the Reaper, on the Shudder horror streaming service.
- UNLV film professor Brett Levner premiered her latest feature film, Riot in Bloom, at the 2025 Nevada Women's Film Festival and other international festivals.
- Las Vegas filmmaker Deborah Richards released her documentary, Shaken & Stirred, about the history of flair bartending.
As for 2026, Las Vegas will figure into two new streaming series: the animated Strip Law, about a Las Vegas lawyer teaming up with a magician, which premieres February 20 on Netflix, and Lucky, starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a woman attempting to escape her criminal past, due out on Apple TV sometime in the year. And the final movies produced by the late Las Vegas B-movie mogul Michael Mahal will also eventually see release in 2026.
Guest: Josh Bell, freelance writer and movie/TV critic
