Superman-Batman Superhero Epic To Film In Michigan
LANSING (WWJ) -- The Michigan Film Office announced Thursday that the next DC Entertainment superhero movie from Warner Bros. Pictures has been approved for a film incentive from the state.
The film, from director Zack Snyder, brings together the two greatest superheroes of all time -- Superman and Batman -- for the first time on the big screen.
Production on the new film is expected to begin in metro Detroit and throughout Michigan sometime in the first quarter of 2014.
Snyder is co-writing the story with David S. Goyer, who is writing the screenplay. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing the film, which will star Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.
Said Margaret O'Riley, director of the Michigan Film Office: "We look forward to the spotlight shining on our incredibly talented workforce and the businesses that support our film industry here in Michigan."
Added Snyder: "Detroit is a great example of a quintessential American city, and I know it will make the perfect backdrop for our movie. Detroit and the entire state of Michigan have been fantastic collaborators, and we are looking forward to working together on this film."
The as-yet-untitled feature film was awarded an incentive of $35 million on $131 million of projected in-state expenditures. The production is expected to hire 406 Michigan workers, with a full time equivalent of 426 jobs, plus an additional 6,000 person-days of extra work.
The production anticipates using approximately 500 local Michigan vendors during the course of production and spending $5.1 million on local hotels, as well as an additional $3.5 million in out-of-town cast and crew per diem payments that will be spent in the local economy but which fall outside of the incentive program.
State officials said the incentive funding for the project will be allocated out of the fiscal year 2014 budget. However, any funding remaining from the budget at the end of the current fiscal year will be directed to offset the full incentive amount for this project.
The Michigan Film Office was created in 1979 to assist and attract incoming production companies and promote the growth of Michigan's own film industry. The Film Office also administers the incentive program for film, television and other digital media production in Michigan. For more on the Michigan Film Office, visit: MichiganFilmOffice.org.
