Julie Hinds

Detroit Free Press Pop Culture Critic

The signs of summer are all around downtown Detroit. People sitting in the sunshine. Music playing from open car windows. A "Transformers" movie filming here again.

Crew members and trucks for the "Transformers: The Last Knight" production were spotted Friday at the corner of Fort and Shelby in downtown Detroit.

It's one of several spots — the Capitol Park area and the old Packard plant included — filming has been spotted this week by passersby and a few dedicated followers of local filming who've posted photos on Twitter.

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This is the fourth time the Motor City has been used as a location for a "Transformers" movie.

"We're happy to be back. We love being in Detroit and Michigan," said producer Ian Bryce on Friday afternoon during a break, noting that longtime "Transformers" director Michael Bay always enjoys working in Michigan.

The cast and crew are spending a total of eight weeks in the region, with filming planned for Detroit, the Michigan Motion Picture Studios sound stages in Pontiac and other nearby undisclosed locations.

This first week, the Chene-Ferry market was used as a location for three days.

The production will be bringing returning franchise stars Mark Wahlberg and Josh Duhamel to town and new cast additions like Laura Haddock and Isabela Moner.

Bryce hints that there might be a surprise guest, too, without offering any details. And when producers mention surprises, they're usually pretty good.

There have been many positive changes downtown since the last "Transformers" visit in 2013, when a huge outdoor set near Grand Circus Park doubled for Hong Kong.

"We see there's a resurgence of the economy," said Bryce. "It's definitely physically busier than the last time we were here, and we're glad to see that."

In other "Transformers" news, the film is no longer seeking extras via e-mail.

Earlier this week, casting coordinator Maryellen Aviano appeared on Fox 2 Detroit, which ran the e-mail address during an interview about "Transformers" returning to the city. The account was filled by 8,500 submissions within 48 hours, according to Aviano.

She said via e-mail that she will be casting from those submissions and has no plans for an open casting call for extras.

Contact Detroit Free Press writer Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.