In a move sure to terrify fans and actors equally, Batman Vs. Superman will be filmed in the city of Detroit, Michigan. The Michigan Film Office announced in a press release that the Zack Snyder-directed movie will receive $35 million in tax incentives to begin shooting sometime in early 2014. Between grande lattes, hooker disposal, and those cool chairs that have people’s names sewn on the back, the production is expected to bring $131 million into the Detroit economy. And while that seems like a lot of money, the city owes $15 billion and is in the process of declaring bankruptcy – the municipality is even going so far as to auction off the city museum’s art collection to pay down its debt.
As far as the movie’s concerned, a $35 million tax break definitely seems like a great incentive for any business to set up shop, but the Batman Vs. Superman cast and crew should we aware of a few systemic problems in the city of Detroit:
- The average 911 response time is 58 minutes.
- The police department solves just 8.7 percent of cases.
- Four of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in America (including the #1) are in Detroit.
But there’s good news, too!
- You can buy a house for $250!
- They have a Whole Foods (actors love that fancy “food” stuff).
- Thanks to all the abandoned land, Detroit is home to the biggest boom in urban farming. And Superman grew up on a farm, right? Okay, not one in the middle of a post-apocalyptic hellscape, but still.
- They’re soon going to have an enormous statue of Robocop. Which pretty much beats every downside on its own.