CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Avengers are coming to Cleveland.

Gov. John Kasich announced Thursday that scenes from the upcoming Marvel/Disney movie featuring the superhero team the Avengers will be filmed in Cleveland. It is scheduled for a 2012 release.

Kasich made the announcement to a group of reporters at Public Auditorium just before Mayor Frank Jackson's State of the City speech. The scenes were to have been shot in Detroit but were moved after reports that Michigan's governor planned to eliminate the film tax credits.

"I'm really pleased that the city is going to get this movie," Kasich said. "It's fantastic. It required quick and hard work between the community here and the state of Ohio, something that hasn't always happened. We won another one from Michigan. I'm thrilled we are going to have this here. I'm just bucking for a part as Governator 2."

"The Avengers," directed by Joss Whedon, will feature big-name actors reprising their superhero roles from previous films, including Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man; Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury; and Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow.

Wayne Hill, chairman of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, said that "The Avengers" will be the largest film ever made in Ohio and that filming is expected to start in the fall. Scouting for locations has already begun, according to reports.

"Marvel has stated publicly that the change was because of the tax credit loss," Hill said. "The fact that we have it in Ohio has made a huge difference."

Katie Sabatino, publicist for the Ohio Film Office, said the movie deal came after a round of negotiations with Marvel Comics.

"We have been in dialogue with Marvel Comics all week and we finally reached an agreement," she said. "We're very excited about it."

Ivan Schwarz, executive director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, said the movie means local jobs.

"It's tremendous for the city's and the regional effort to have films made here," he said. "It means a lot of jobs for people in our area."

All of the recent Marvel movies have been leading up to "The Avengers." After the closing credits of the movies featuring Iron Man, The Hulk and other heroes, there are hints of the formation of a superhero team.

The movie will also feature Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America. Both actors are also appearing in films about their characters this year. Hemsworth stars as Thor in a highly anticipated movie opening in May, and Evans stars as Captain America in the movie "Captain America, The First Avenger," opening in July.

It will be the second Marvel superhero movie filmed in the city. Scenes for "Spider-Man III" were shot downtown in 2006.

The current adventures of The Avengers are written by former Clevelander Brian Michael Bendis. In one of his issues, Bendis used Cleveland as the site of a giant superhero battle.