Is Delaware the new Gotham City? ‘Batman’ and ‘Joker’ stars are in movies filmed here

Since Superman lives in Delaware (we have proof), it only makes sense that his buddy Batman and enemy the Joker would have ties to the First State, right? 

Somehow that comic-book logic has worked its way into real life. 

The lead actors from the superhero films “Batman” (Michael Keaton) and “Joker” (Joaquin Phoenix) each have been featured in major films made in Delaware.  

Here’s a handful of other Hollywood films (plus TV shows) inspired by or made in the First State that you may not know. They feature big stars including Oprah, Aubrey Plaza, Jack Black and more. 

The Village: Joaquin Phoenix

Director M. Night Shyamalan was one of the hottest directors in the late ’90s and early 2000s after delivering a string of hits like “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs.” The film “Signs” featured a 20-something Joaquin Phoenix, almost two decades before he starred as Batman’s nemesis in “Joker.”

Shyamalan once again recruited Phoenix for his 2004 suspense thriller “The Village,” which spotlights an evil force that dwells in a forbidden forest. The Philly director filmed scenes close to home in places like the City of Brotherly Love; Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; and Delaware’s Centreville. 

Beloved: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover

This 1998 film starring the “Giveaway Queen” Oprah Winfrey (Sethe) and Danny Glover (Paul Garner) leaned on New Castle County to shoot some of the project.

“Beloved” follows Winfrey’s character, who is haunted by her past as a slave. She and her daughter are tormented by a ghost until her longtime friend, played by Glover, drives it away. But more drama continues after a woman named Beloved appears.  

The film was nominated for six NAACP Image Awards, including one for Winfrey. Glover won the film’s only Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture.

Failure to Launch: Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker

Even before the Great Recession in 2008, it was hard for some parents to get their children to leave the nest. This was evidenced in the 2006 romantic comedy “Failure to Launch,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker (Paula).

The movie tells the story of a 35-year-old bachelor whose parents (played by Kathy Bates and NFL legend Terry Bradshaw) hire an interventionist to get him to move out of their home. Some scenes from the flick were shot at Cape Henlopen State Park.  

Little Demon: Aubrey Plaza, Danny DeVito 

Wilmington native Aubrey Plaza is a character. But she raised the bar in the FX cartoon series “Little Demon” (2022). In this dark comedy, Plaza plays Laura, mom to her Antichrist daughter Chrissy, played by Lucy DeVito. The family relocates to Delaware to live a normal life, but Laura’s ex (Satan, played by Danny DeVito) finds them in the Small Wonder.     

In the first episode alone, there are several nods to Delaware like Chrissy entering her new school, the fictitious Middletown Junior High School, which says the following under the school sign: “Est. 1795. We’re not racist anymore!” 

She also goes with a friend to a party at “the abandoned Taco Chateau on Concord Pike” before showing a Delaware license plate on her car. (It was blue-and-gold and not a prized low-digit black-and-white plate.) 

The edgy cartoon generated lots of controversy — mostly for its Satanic theme — and lasted only one season.

Fight Club: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton  

It’s true the first rule of “Fight Club” is you can’t talk about “Fight Club.” Too bad Brad Pitt never said we couldn’t write about it (hehe). This legendary flick is based on Wilmington and explores an underground club for bareknuckle brawls.  

The movie, inspired by the 1996 book of the same name by author Chuck Palahniuk, also features Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter and Meat Loaf. 

While Wilmington is never named in the film, Wilmingtonians can spot the references with ease. This includes a business card for Pitt’s character (Tyler Durden) that lists the address for his soap company as 537 Paper St. with the ZIP code of 19808 — a Wilmington-area ZIP code. 

In a 2000 interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal, Palahniuk said it was the idea of director David Fincher and scriptwriter Jim Uhls to set the film in Wilmington because of its deep ties to the credit card industry. 

The movie ends with the bombing of credit card companies — something Wilmington has a bunch of.  

Clean and Sober: Michael Keaton, Morgan Freeman  

In the history of actors cast as Batman, many fans rank Michael Keaton as the best. He shined in Tim Burton’s classics the “Batman” with Jack Nicholson in 1989, followed by “Batman Returns” with Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito in 1992.

But right before he became Gotham City’s protector, Keaton played a hotshot real estate guru with a cocaine habit in “Clean and Sober” (1988). His character eventually checks into a rehab clinic and receives help from a counselor played by Morgan Freeman.

Since the real estate agent lives in Philly, it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of the locations in “Clean and Sober” was shot in Claymont about 30 minutes away.   

Goosebumps: Jack Black  

Many ’90s kids and their parents remember the horror novel series for kids titled “Goosebumps.” Author R.L. Stine’s nostalgic series inspired the 2015 film title of the same. It starred Jack Black as the beloved author Stine and featured monsters from the writer’s imagination escaping into the fictional town of Madison, Delaware.          

The Pretender: Michael Weiss 

A human chameleon is on the loose. His name is Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) and he’s a “Pretender” or a genius who is so smart he’s able to assume multiple identities such as a pilot, lawyer or doctor.

When Jarod was young, a corporation named The Centre wanted to use him for his genius ability. The Centre is in the fictitious Blue Cove, Delaware. That makes sense because the First State is the incorporation capital of the world. “The Pretender” (1996-2000) is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.  

Dish & The Spoon: Greta Gerwig 

Rose (Greta Gerwig) moves to Delaware after her husband cheats in the romantic comedy “The Dish & The Spoon” (2011). The breakout director behind the summer’s billion-dollar-grossing “Barbie” film can be spotted years ago in “The Dish & The Spoon” scenes filmed in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Broadkill Beach and Dewey Beach, along with Milton, Milford and Dover.

Mayor Cupcake: Lea Thompson

Mary Maroni (Lea Thompson) is a mom, wife, and the best cupcake baker in town. After her daughter secretly nominates her for mayor, and she shockingly wins, the master baker is forced to discover if she has the right ingredients to create meaningful change in political office in the comedy “Mayor Cupcake” (2011). The film was shot in the Delaware locations Bridgeville, Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach.  

Dead Poets Society: Robin Williams  

The new year marks the 35th anniversary of the cult classic film “Dead Poets Society,” filmed in Delaware and starring Robin Williams in one of his first serious roles. The 1989 movie landed Williams an Academy Award nomination for his performance as a teacher who motivates prep school students through the writings of Walt Whitman and other “dead poets.”   

“Dead Poets Society” was filmed in the Middletown area at St. Andrew’s School and the Everett Theatre. Other Delaware locations include Wilmington and Historic New Castle. 

Sources for this article include IMDB and Filmpedia.

News Journal reporter Ryan Cormier rcormier@delawareonline.com contributed to this report.

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters. 

More Delaware entertainment

Is Superman Delaware’s favorite son? He’s competing against Joe Biden

Before her new smash hit film ‘Barbie’: Greta Gerwig made this movie in Delaware

‘Meet the Parents’ star Teri Polo: She comes home to Delaware; making new film in First State