Jackman set to film in Detroit, W. Mich

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The futuristic boxing drama, "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman, is set to be filmed in the Detroit area and several locations around West Michigan, 24 Hour News 8 learned Tuesday.

Hastings is one of the cities being considered.

In late 2009, a DreamWorks location scout based in the Detroit area spent three days checking out Barry County locations. The Hastings Chamber of Commerce president said DreamWorks contacted the city, interested in a “rural and historic-looking location,” according to the Laff at the Movies blog.

"One of the items or places that they wanted to visit was the county courthouse," said John Hart, the community development director.

The scout also was interested in several local hot spots, such as Charleton Park and the countryside across Barry County, said Valerie Byrnes, the president of the chamber of commerce.

"A number of items that they were looking for specifically, like, that they might shoot (include) diners, truck stops and those sorts of things in rural settings," Byrnes said. "Which is what brought them to Barry County."

Jackman is best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men movies. "Real Steel" would be the biggest-budget movie to film in West Michigan since the state's tax incentives passed in 2008.

It has a budget of about $80 million, and the Hastings mayor said it could provide a huge boost for local businesses as well.

Rick Hert, the film commissioner of the West Michigan Film Office, said his company has been working with DreamWorks for the past three months, and that Grand Rapids could be another possible filming location and base of operations.

For more on the project, check out Aaron Lafferty's movie blog. 24 Hour News 8 will continue to follow this developing story.