Film & TV / Literature
David S. Goyer
born 1965 · screenwriter, director, producer
Ann Arbor-born writer of the Blade and Dark Knight films, whose Batman v Superman turned Detroit into Gotham and Metropolis.
- Born
Ann Arbor, Michigan
age 60- Birth name
- David Samuel Goyer
- Detroit years
- 1965–1980s
- Field
- Film & TV, Literature
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
David S. Goyer and his brother Jeff were born in Ann Arbor and raised there by their mother. He left Michigan to study film at the University of Southern California and became one of Hollywood's leading writers of comic-book movies, from the Blade trilogy to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films. His Michigan roots came back into view with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), which he co-wrote. The production was filmed in and around Detroit in 2014, with downtown streets standing in for both Metropolis and Gotham City and the then-derelict Michigan Central Station hosting the heroes' kryptonite-fueled fight. It was one of the last big productions to use Michigan's film incentives, spending around $131 million in the state. Goyer later created the Apple TV+ series Foundation.
Highlights
- Wrote the Blade trilogy (1998–2004) and directed Blade: Trinity
- Story co-writer of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises
- Co-wrote Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, filmed largely in Detroit in 2014
- Creator of the series Foundation (2021–)
- Saturn Award for Best Writing for Batman Begins
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Related place · 2014
Michigan Central Station
The derelict 1913 rail terminal in Corktown was a key location for Batman v Superman in 2014; Ford reopened the restored station in 2024.