The two Boblo boats, which took generations of Detroiters to the island amusement park in the Detroit River from the turn of the century until 1991, have landed roles in "Transformers 4," which begins filming Wednesday in downtown Detroit.
CBC Windsor reports the S.S. Columbia and her sister, the S.S. Ste. Clair, both docked in River Rouge, are used as props. Both ships are in various stages of disrepair.
Filming of the movie has been underway for weeks, including around Adrian, southwest of Detroit.
The Columbia's ship keeper, Sam Buchanan, told CBC the St. Clair has "a prominent role" in the movie while the Columbia's appearance is "minor."
"When the movie folks are in town, they’re always looking for unique place to shoot so these boats came into play," Buchanan said. "They’re moving right along. They’ve been shooting primarily at night. I don’t know how much more is going to be going on there but they’re not nearly finished."
The City of River Rouge confirmed filming took place Wednesday and Thursday night.
"There were a lot of helicopters flying around," city clerk Sue Joseph said.
Pyrotechnic special effects were filmed Wednesday and Thursday night in River Rouge by director Michael Bay's "Transformers 4" production crew.
