15 movies filmed in and around Detroit — and their locations


Lights. Camera. Detroit? Once upon a time, Michigan had a magic golden ticket of sorts by way of a tax incentive that made it cheap and easy for filmmakers like Michael Bay, Ryan Gosling, and Drew Barrymore to utilize all the beauty, blight, and splendor Michigan has to offer. Though the film incentive was stripped from us by Gov. Rick “Flint Water Crisis” Snyder in 2015, the films created before and during that time will last forever (which, in the case of some of the films on this list, is an unfortunate fact). While some movies are set in and around Detroit, not all of those films actually set foot in the Detroit area (we're looking at you, Grosse Pointe Blank). Meanwhile, some films that are set in places like Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, or fictional battlegrounds like Metropolis transformed our familiar landscape with some major movie magic, making it all the more special when we catch a glimpse of a Detroit building, landmark, or notable vacant lot on the silver screen. Though we're still only slightly offended that no one asked moi for a closeup (Gos, what gives?), we're just happy Detroit has been given many memorable moments to shine. Detroit: You're a star, baby.