Batman and Superman Movie Headed to Detroit, Lured by $35M in Incentives

Warner Bros. production is expected to spend more than $130 million in the state

Gotham and Metropolis be damned: Batman and Superman are headed to the Motor City. 

The hotly anticipated Warner Bros. film uniting the two DC Comics heroes will be shot in Detroit and throughout Michigan, the Michigan Film Office said Thursday.

The film will receive $35 million in incentives and is expected to spend $131 million in the state.  More than 400 Michigan residents will be hired for the production and 500 local vendors will be used during shooting. 

It's a big plum for Michigan's film office, which recently played host to "Transformers 4" and the AMC series "Low Winter Sun." It's a loss, however, for Vancouver, Canada, which provided the locations for "Man of Steel."

Also read: Why 'Man of Steel' Will Decide the Future of Warner Bros. (Video)

The defection to Detroit is the second time the Canadian city has lost out on a major comic book production. In July, TheWrap broke the news that Fox's "Fantastic Four" reboot had decamped from Vancouver to Louisiana because of the state's more generous incentive structure. Lawmakers in British Columbia have so far resisted calls to increase film subsidies, but the loss of these projects has already reignited debate about the efficacy of tax incentives for film productions.

Zack Snyder will direct the film, which will begin production in the first quarter of 2014. "Man of Steel"s' Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane will reprise their roles with Ben Affleck donning Batman's cape and cowl, as TheWrap previously reported.

“Detroit is a great example of a quintessential American city, and I know it will make the perfect backdrop for our movie,” Snyder said in a statement. “Detroit and the entire state of Michigan have been fantastic collaborators, and we are looking forward to working together on this film.”

Comments