DreamWorks Studios is scouting West Michigan as a shooting location for an upcoming “substantial” movie project.

According to Rick Hert, director of the West Michigan Film Office, “a scout spent some time in Barry County this week where he was looking at several different locations such as courthouses, fairgrounds, hotels, diners and other historic locations.” He also added that the movie is scheduled to start shooting next spring or summer, however currently it is far too early to confirm anything.

Wesley Snipes is filming the action movie Game of Death in downtown Detroit this week.

Filming for the action-thriller film Red Dawn began in Grand Ledge on Monday and was wrapping up on Thursday.

Kinetic Post in Southfield has been hard at work on post production of the locally made thriller Little Murder.

Metro Detroit native Sam Raimi recently revealed to MTV that they will begin shooting Spider-Man 4 in March of 2010. Many are hoping that all or part of the production will to come to Michigan and take advantage of our excellent film incentives.

You Don’t Know Jack; the biopic on Doctor Jack Kevorkian starring Al Pacino, will be shooting around Metro Detroit this week, including at a Big Boy in Troy off of Maple Road.

What’s Wrong with Virginia? starring Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris, began filming in West Michigan last week. Shooting schedules have been shuffled around because of the rain.  is the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk).  The movie will be shooting until the end of the month. Liam Neeson was originally slated to star, but had to back out due to a scheduling conflict with the action movie A-Team currently shooting in Vancouver.

Sleepless Beauty is scheduled to start shooting November 25th in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This remake of the classic fairytale story will star Golden Globe nominee Meg Ryan and Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical).

Detroit Locals the Kaye brothers are the stars of a new Discovery Channel reality show, Motor City Motors. The first session of the new show; which is currently shooting in Southwest Detroit, will run for 13-episode and is set to debut on the channel early next year.

Local Detroit rock band The Silent Years will have their music featured in the upcoming Matthew Modine and Zach Galifianakis movie Little Fish Strange Pond. The movie will be premiering in Austin and L.A. the week of October 23rd.  Check out this trailer which features the Silent Years’ song “Taking Drugs At The Amusement Park” off their latest EP release Let Go.

** For more local Detroit rock music news check out our sister site MotorCityRocks.com.

MGM; the studio behind the remake of Red Dawn, was thrown a lifeline late last week and will be able to continue operating for the foreseeable future.

In a related note, a assistant location manager for the movie Red Dawn had her car broken into will the movie was shooting in Downtown Detroit today.  This is the second robber to happen to a film crew this year since two location scouts for the movie Little Murder were robbed this past summer.

Actor Danny Glover was in Pontiac yesterday filming his upcoming movie Highland Park.  The production of Red Dawn was in Pontiac all of last week.

Actor Nathan West of the movie Alleged has offered himself up for auction to raise money for a local Flint charity.

Also, received word that the upcoming Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, and John Leguizamo thriller Vanishing on 7th Street starts lensing next week until mid November in and around Detroit.

A new movie shooting in Detroit; Little Murder, will be the first full-length feature film made entirely in Michigan, including post-production work.

The upcoming production of What’s Wrong With Virginia will be lensing up soon on the west side of the state.

The Toledo Blade looks at the rising Michgian Film incentives and the local production of Red Dawn.

Michigan’s possible film incentive flip-floping make the front page of the LA Times today.  They also look at the local production of Red Dawn.

Real Detroit looks at how to get your stuff on local film and TV productions.

Toronto-based emo band Moneen shot their their latest music video in Detroit

Finally, it looks as though the planed animation studio Wonderstruck will not be using the old MGM Casino; However, they still plan to be located in downtown Detroit.

So it looks as though Senator Nancy Cassis is willing to hurt business in her own district, as Novi-based Lotus Bank is set to become the first Michigan-based bank to participate in and finance the State of Michigan’s Film Production Incentive.  The first project that Lotus Bank is funding is the tween television comedy The Wannabes, which is being produced by Savvy Productions of Howell. In the first phase of filming the production is spending millions of dollars in Michigan, including the hiring of 100 Michiganders serving as both cast and crew members.

Well thanks to Senator Cassis and her GOP pals, Michigan has already lost the production of Resident Evil 4, which choose Toronto over Michigan because of the talk of cutting the Film Tax Incentives… thanks a lot Cassis.

However, Hollywood Reporter that actor Hayden Christensen is set to star in the thriller Vanishing on Seventh Street which is set to start shooting in Metro Detroit this Fall.

Director Drew Barrymore will be skating at the Bonaventure Skating Center in Farmington Hills from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 to promote her upcoming Michigan Made film Whip It.

The first of three studios planned for the Metro Detroit area, Unity Studios broke ground yesterday in Allen Park at an old Vieston plant.  Once up and running ,the studio is expected to employ over 3,000 full-time and freelance employees.

While not a new studio, Metromode looks at one of metro Detroit most distinguished and import production facilities, Grace and Wild.

On the west side of the state, the Grand Rapids Film Festival has been underway this week.

Finally, If the GOP have their way and cap the film incentives then I’m sure North Carolina will gladly steal our projects and local talent away.

Variety Magazine has published three well written articles today on the booming Michigan film Industry:

- Variety looks at five productions shot in the Metro Detroit area over the past 12 months that have helped transformer the local Michigan Economy.

-Variety also has a report on how Michigan is quickly becoming known as the Midwestern Hollywood.

- Variety goes in-depth with the Michigan Film Office.

Finally, the rumor around town is that director Steven Spielberg is looking to shoot one of his next big budget movie based on Michael Crichton’s final novel Pirate Latitudes in Metro Detroit, including the possibility of using the vacant Pontiac Silverdome.

The Michigan made independent feature film Ocean of Pearls is currently playing at the Landmark Maple Art Theater in Bloomfield Hills and the AMC Forum in Sterling Heights.

Pontiac Downtown Development Authority director Sandy McDonald tells The Oakland Press that the production of Red Dawn will be in Pontiac for two weeks at the end of September and a few days in October.

So last week a couple of pre-production crew members of the upcoming feature film Little Murder were robbery in Detroit.  Fortunately, Detroit’s finest apprehended the suspects within minutes.

The Detroit news has an article on how even the talk of cutting or capping the Michigan Film Incentives at this early stage is costing Michigan feature length productions and hundreds of jobs (which are going to other, more stable states).

“It’s irresponsible rhetoric, people want to do business in Michigan, and we’re working overtime to bring jobs to the state. But it’s not easy when politicians are making this a negotiating point.” – Michele Richards of Wonderstruck Studios [ read more]

However, behind the scenes could Governor Granholm use the proposed Wixom plant energy park redevelopment over Senator Nancy Cassis’ head if she doesn’t back down on trying to cut and cap the Michigan Film Tax Incentives?  The plant is in Cassis’ back yard.

In another note, it’s time for Michigan to once again become a key player in the commercial-production industry.  I think we should expand the Film Tax Incentives to include commercials.

Finally, here’s the trailer for Michigan Native Michael Moore’s upcoming film Capitalism: A Love Story

Actors Josh Lucas and Terrence Howard have both signed on to star in Little Murder, a supernatural independent film set in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Though the movie is set in New Orleans, most of the actually production will happen in and around Metro Detroit.  This is a big win for our state since Louisiana is currently a key competitor to Michigan in attracting film productions.

Metromode looks at a Genre Films, who have recently moved their operations to Michigan from California so they can shoot over ten projects here in the near future.

Rapid Growth talks to Daniel Garcia; assistant professor at the Calvin College Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, about the growth of the film industry in West Michigan.