Transformers 5 to film on location in Detroit
Director Michael Bay will shoot Transformers 5 partly on location in Detroit this summer and will get filming incentive support of $21m from the state.
By Nick Goundry 1 Mar 2016
Director Michael Bay will shoot Transformers 5 partly on location in Detroit this summer and will get filming incentive support of $21m from the state.
Paramount Pictures plans to spend around $80m in the city, including hiring 450 local crew and 700 extras. The Transformers franchise is a repeat visitor to Detroit and even built a Hong Kong set in the city for the last instalment, Age of Extinction, to film action sequences for the movie’s China-set finale.
“Having one of the highest-profile film franchises created in Michigan is a major economic boost and a testament to the talent of the state’s production community,” said Jenell Leonard, commissioner of the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office.
“The production and economic investment is now happening sooner rather than later, and obviously, the project is a certainty rather than merely a possibility.”
Michigan in fact controversially ended its formal filming incentive programme in the summer of last year. However, Paramount Pictures had already made prior deals with the state government before the incentive’s cancellation – it is these which are now being honoured in the form of a singular financial support package for Transformers 5.
Superhero movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – scheduled for release this month (March 2016) - was one of the last big-budget productions to film in Detroit, with a base at Michigan Motion Picture Studios. The film reportedly spent around $130m and got incentive support of about $35m.
Transformers 5 will be a big boost for Detroit, but the longer-term future of the city’s production industry is less certain.
For more on filming in Michigan see our production guide.
Image: Paramount Pictures
“Having one of the highest-profile film franchises created in Michigan is a major economic boost and a testament to the talent of the state’s production community,” said Jenell Leonard, commissioner of the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office.
“The production and economic investment is now happening sooner rather than later, and obviously, the project is a certainty rather than merely a possibility.”
Michigan in fact controversially ended its formal filming incentive programme in the summer of last year. However, Paramount Pictures had already made prior deals with the state government before the incentive’s cancellation – it is these which are now being honoured in the form of a singular financial support package for Transformers 5.
Superhero movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – scheduled for release this month (March 2016) - was one of the last big-budget productions to film in Detroit, with a base at Michigan Motion Picture Studios. The film reportedly spent around $130m and got incentive support of about $35m.
Transformers 5 will be a big boost for Detroit, but the longer-term future of the city’s production industry is less certain.
For more on filming in Michigan see our production guide.
Image: Paramount Pictures
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