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Mike Judge's 'Automated Trucking' one of several films awarded tax credits for 2025

Mike Judge and Alec Berg, creators of 'Automated Trucking'

Automated Trucking
, a new comedy feature from Mike Judge, creator of Office Space, Beavis and Butthead, and King of the Hill, will shoot in Ohio this year - but where in Ohio is the real question.

Automated Trucking was one of 14 projects awarded more than $26 million of $33 million in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program (OMPTC) aimed at boosting production and infrastructure across the state. 

The newly launched Ohio Film & Theater Capital Improvements Tax Credit Program (OFATCI) will provide more than $7.3 million to support capital improvements for film and theater production.

"Our film tax credits bring producers and stars to Ohio, and they create opportunities for the local businesses, skilled trades, and creatives already here," said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. "The expansion of film incentives to include capital improvements ensures that productions can find all of resources they need to succeed in the Heart of it All."

Here’s what we know about the feature films and documentaries awarded credits:

Automated Trucking - $12,392,622

Judge’s Automated Trucking follows two men “cramped into the cab of a truck together and in a race across the country in the tradition of great American trucker movies — except now with automation,” reports Deadline. “Billy, a middle-aged trucker whose job is disappearing before his very eyes, sits next to Zander, a young programmer whose mission is to make it disappear … as fast as he can.”

Judge is producing alongside partner Alec Berg. The duo created the hit HBO show Silicon Valley. Screenwriters include Matteo Borghese (Only Murders in the Building) and Rob Turbovsky (Only Murders in the Building). The project hasn’t announced any cast yet.

No word on where Automated Trucking will film.

Kickin’ It - $1,244,955

Described on the film’s official website as “the true life story of Caden Cox, the young man who overcame widespread obstacles and stigmas to become the first person with Down Syndrome to play and score in a college football game,” Kickin’ It will shoot in Cincinnati.

Cox kicked an extra point in a home game for Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, on September 11, 2021.

The film is directed by Sean McNamara, best known for Soul Surfer, and written by Jay Paul Deratany

Arnie - $1,223,725

With all the appropriate caveats thrown in, we believe Arnie may be the new name of a documentary titled Always Ask For Help. The documentary is inspired by the book Always Ask for Help, by Janet Lee, educator, and Arnie Stewart.

Both tell Stewart’s story and his struggle with illiteracy. Expelled from school at 15, he lived in a parked car, scavenged for food, and struggled to find employment. Despite these hardships, Arnie developed strategies to navigate a literate society, such as observing others' orders in restaurants to avoid reading menus and pretending to read newspapers to fit in. His experiences highlight the profound struggles and stigmas associated with illiteracy.

Lee encountered Arnie while teaching and later collaborated with him so he could share his experiences more broadly.

Arnie is slated to shoot in Cleveland.

Old Cedar Road - $5,317,456

We couldn’t find too much about Old Cedar Road other than a description from ProductionList.com. The website says the film “promises a poignant dive into the complexities of human relationships, set against the backdrop of a richly textured cinematic landscape.”

Jonathan Glickman is named as the film’s producer. Glickman is known for Netflix’s Wednesday and Zero Day. Rose Carson is listed as writer. The film is possibly from Camp 9 Films, which has produced a number of low-budget thrillers.

It’s set to shoot in Cleveland.

Test - $235,998

Test follows the story of “a young bodybuilder living in small-town Ohio who defies his religious mother when he follows the county’s best coach into a world of steroid abuse and exploitation,” according to a synopsis on ProductionList.com.

Sam McConnell is set to direct from a script by Brock Yurich. McConnell’s credits include Camp RicStar. Acting credits for Yurich, a New Philadelphia, Ohio, native, include The Boxer and the Butterfly and Fit for Murder. This may be his first writing credit.

The film features Paloma Garcia-Lee according to The Cinemaholic. The actress appears in West Side Story, Skeleton Crew, and Elsbeth.

The film sets up shop in Dover, Ohio.

Union County - $363,665

Union County follows a young man in rural Ohio as he navigates a drug court recovery program and the return of his ex-girlfriend. The feature is based on and expands on themes in the original short, Union County, by Adam Meeks.

The short premiered in competition at the 70th Berlinale and screened at festivals including Champs-Élysées, Palm Springs International ShortFest, and the Maryland Film Festival. It was also featured on Le Cinéma Club, Short of the Week, NoBudge, and as a Vimeo Staff Pick.

Meeks, a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and NYU Tisch graduate, is set to direct. His work includes the short documentary Bitterroot, which premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. He currently serves as the Senior Video Producer at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Union County will shoot in Marysville, Ohio.

Meteor Anne - $608,277

Meteor Anne follows the life of a middle-aged woman who is plucked from her mundane existence and thrust into viral fame after she becomes the first person in history to be struck by a meteorite. She discovers she loves the spotlight, but viral fame is fleeting.

Aaron Schoonover is the film’s writer/director. The Akron, Ohio, native is a casting associate on Severance. The film is produced by Nic Neary.

Meteor Anne shoots in Wadsworth, Ohio.

We haven't found info on Jacob and the Wolf ($719,019), eyeing a Cleveland shoot, and A Different Christmas ($1,543,270), shooting in Hamilton.

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