Feature Film 'Northern 48' Approved For $3.9M Incentive

POINTE AUX BARQUES TWP. (WWJ/AP) - The state is willing to give nearly $4 million to reward an upcoming made-in-Michigan movie called "Northern 48."

The Michigan Film Office said movie makers plan to spend about $15 million in the state. Filming begins in spring around Metro Detroit and in Pointe Aux Barques in northern Michigan.

Spokeswoman Michelle Grinnell says the actual amount of cash given by the state will be determined after an audit of the project, which is expected to employ roughly 150 Michigan residents. It could end up being less than the $3.9 million initially approved.

"Northern 48" begins in the middle of a horrific storm off Lake Huron, with the police questioning the only survivor of what looks like a business deal gone horribly bad. The survivor tells a tale that leads from Detroit to a U.S. customs warehouse heist of art antiquities to a legendary border militia group and a billion dollar casino deal.

The film is written and directed by Darren Campbell, with Christos Moisides and Matthew Rhodes producing.

"Northern 48 was written to be made in Michigan," Moisides, a Michigan native, said in a statement. "This is not only a great stylized heist film with dynamic roles and plot-twisting storytelling; it also showcases the cultural diversity in the Detroit area as well as the diversity of locations in Michigan."

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