Batman In The Burgh

The Dark Night Rises will be filmed in Pittsburgh. Director Chris Nolan filmed his first two Batman movies in Chicago. Some there see the news as a "slight". The Chicago Film Office takes a more bottom line assessment:

Both 2005's "Batman Begins" and 2008's "The Dark Knight" shot on location in downtown Chicago (standing in for Gotham), and Moskal estimates that the films spent in excess of $50 million combined when they were here — on crews, vendors and hotels, among other expenses.

The announcement of Pittsburgh as the location of the third installment might be bigger than Google Fiber (which went to KC). Moskal goes on to say that Nolan put Chicago on the map for other film projects. The $50 million was the icing on the cake. The city is still enjoying dividends without The Dark Night Rises.

As for Pittsburgh, landing the project is another home run for a region with an ever increasing economic portfolio. Do check out the Pittsburgh Art + Technology initiative. There is a lot more going on than just filming. $25 million being spent in the city doesn't hurt, either.