Written by on Feb 5, 2015. Posted in Incentive News

Lawmaker pushes to cancel Michigan filming incentive support

A state lawmaker is pushing to cancel Michigan’s filming incentive by the end of 2015. Detroit recently hosted the upcoming superhero movie Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice but a state Representative wants to redirect the film fund elsewhere in the regional economy.

Michigan offers a base 25% filming incentive and only a couple of months ago the programme was in fact extended through to 2021 in a bid to attract more big-budget films and TV productions.

Rep. Dan Lauwers now wants this reversed, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. His plan could gain traction as the state government is controlled by conservatives.

For the past few years Michigan’s annual film fund has had to be confirmed every 12 months, making it harder to secure bigger productions, and especially TV shoots eyeing potential long-term stays. This changed in December, making the state more film-friendly.

Batman V Superman filmed at Michigan Motion Picture Studios in Detroit and state authorities will be hoping to host more of the raft of superhero movies planned by Marvel and Warner Bros over the next five years. However, the Batman movie filmed in Detroit partly because of a USD 35 million filming incentive. High-profile films will be hard to secure without a similar level of production support.

Michigan offers a base 25% filming incentive and only a couple of months ago the programme was in fact extended through to 2021.

The filming incentive debate continues to cause controversy elsewhere in the US. North Carolina has downgraded its incentive, sharply reducing its appeal for big-budget shoots. Maryland has reduced its film fund for this year and had to make a special deal to keep House of Cards in Baltimore for a third season.

California is going the other way by boosting its film fund in the coming months. The move is designed to attract more big-budget features and TV dramas.