Steven Paul unveils Nixon’s Gamble as he pushes for U.S. film incentives

SP Media Group has announced Nixon’s Gamble, a historical thriller about Richard Nixon’s rise, with a 2027 theatrical release planned after filming in England for financial reasons. The project arrives as producer Steven Paul steps up pressure on Washington to create a federal production tax credit aimed at bringing film and TV jobs back to the United States.

Why it matters: - Nixon’s Gamble is being made overseas because the production could not pencil in the United States without stronger incentives. - Steven Paul is using the film’s foreign shoot to argue for a federal film and television tax credit that could pull productions, crews and spending back to the U.S. - The film also adds another title to SP Media Group’s theatrical slate as Hollywood debates how to keep mid-budget movies viable.

What happened: - SP Media Group announced production of Nixon’s Gamble, a historical thriller directed by Sean McNamara and produced by Steven Paul. - The film was shot in England for financial reasons and is intended for worldwide theatrical release in 2027. - Paul said he told President Donald Trump he was “ashamed” to be making a film about an American president in England. - Paul said the U.K. government tax credit was necessary for the film to move forward.

The details: - Nixon’s Gamble was made with a production budget of just under $10 million. - The story is set in 1948 and follows a 35-year-old Congressman Richard Nixon as he seeks to prove that Alger Hiss is secretly working for the Soviet Union. - The film centers on Nixon’s early rise to national attention and his role in shaping American politics. - The screenplay is by Gary Preisler and Steven Paul. - Scott Karol and Kyle Otto are executive producers. - Jamee Natella, Dan Hockley and Llewelynn Greeff are supervising producers. - The cast includes Charlie Weber as Richard Nixon, Sir Ben Kingsley as Congressman Karl Mundt, Jon Voight as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jeremy Piven as House Un-American Activities Committee chief investigator Robert Stripling, Philip Winchester as Alger Hiss, and Rupert Everett as fictional Senator Harlan Grier. - Nixon’s grandson, Christopher Cox, makes a cameo appearance. - SP Media Group said the film is part of its forthcoming theatrical slate, which also includes Air Force One: Homefront, Frequency Zero, Man With No Present, Christmas Family Feud, We Came By and The Factory. - Paul plans to unveil the film at Cannes Film Festival before its 2027 release.

Between the lines: - The overseas shoot underscores how production incentives can override patriotic branding when budgets are tight. - Paul and SP Media Group President Scott Karol have been working with Hollywood Ambassador Jon Voight, Trump administration officials, bipartisan lawmakers and an industry coalition on a federal incentive. - Following a White House meeting, President Trump called on Congress to act. - Senators Tim Scott and Adam Schiff, along with a bipartisan group of House members, have introduced the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. - The bill would create a federal tax credit for qualifying domestic film and television production. - Karol said the movie highlights the need to make U.S. production more competitive so more American stories can be made domestically and support U.S. crews and communities.

What’s next: - SP Media Group is expected to introduce Nixon’s Gamble at Cannes ahead of the film’s planned 2027 theatrical rollout. - The broader policy push now shifts to Congress, where the proposed production incentive will need to advance before it can change where future projects are shot.

The bottom line: - Nixon’s Gamble is both a historical thriller and a real-world case study in why U.S. filmmakers are looking abroad to get movies financed.