Delaware
What movies & TV shows were made in Delaware?
Bruce Willis’ failed Delaware movie: ‘Broadway Brawler’
Bruce Willis filmed a movie in Wilmington for 20 days in 1997. It wasn’t completed and has never been released.
Delaware may be small but it is home to many things, including Hollywood movies and TV shows over the years.
Here’s a look at Hollywood actors who’ve appeared in films and TV shows filmed or set in the Small Wonder, across all three counties.
‘Jason’s Letter’: Vivica A. Fox, Dover (2017)
An actor and former girlfriend of rapper 50 Cent starred in a 2017 film shot in Dover. Vivica A. Fox, of “Kill Bill” fame, showcased her acting talents in “Jason’s Letter,” a film where some scenes were shot in City Hall. Delaware Online/The News Journal reported in 2017 that director Terrance Tykeem said a friend recommended he shoot in Dover because it had the perfect location for a city hall, which proved to be true after Tykeem scouted the location.
“Jason’s Letter” is about a 12-year-old Black boy named Jason McKey, whose Black schoolmate is shot by white cops. After realizing that marching and protests can’t change what feels like a national crisis, the young boy reaches out to his uncle, who is best friends with the city manager, to see if he can help him deliver a letter to the city council.
‘Broadway Brawler’: Bruce Willis, Wilmington (1997)
At the height of his Hollywood fame, actor Bruce Willis traveled to Wilmington to work on the ambitious film the “Broadway Brawler” in 1997. The $28 million, big-budget romantic comedy about a washed-up professional hockey player who finds love as his career fades was supposed to be the next “Jerry Maguire,” the hit 1996 Tom Cruise sports rom-com.
For the “Broadway Brawler,” Wilmington wouldn’t be Wilmington ‒ it would sub as Queens, New York ‒ much of the action would be shot in the city’s Hedgeville neighborhood and other areas.
But Willis’ dream of filming in Delaware became a nightmare and the project never saw the light of day. News Journal reporter Patricia Talorico details the drama in a mind-boggling backstory about a Delaware movie that a number of First State residents still haven’t even heard of, nearly 30 years later.
‘Little Demon’: Aubrey Plaza, Danny DeVito, Middletown (2022)
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 try 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.
‘Steven Universe’: Rehoboth Beach (2013-19)
Rehoboth’s reputation as a beach destination earned it a spot in the popular Cartoon Network show “Steven Universe,” which aired from 2013-2019. The show is created by Rebecca Sugar, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, and the series follows the adventures of the title character who is joining the Crystal Gems, a group that protects humanity. In a 2018 interview with The News Journal, the show creator reminisced about having “lots of memories of the boardwalk” from Rehoboth. “There was a beach house we used to stay at that belongs to our neighbor’s family, which Steven’s house in the show is based on,” Sugar said in an email interview from Cartoon Network’s California offices. The main character Steven is named after Sugar’s brother, who also did background art for the show.
‘Failure to Launch’: Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cape Henlopen (2006)
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.
‘The Roost’: Ti West, Wilmington & Rehoboth Beach (2011)
More than a decade before Wilmington horror director Ti West’s “MaXXXine” released in 2024 with a glamorous cast that included Giancarlo Esposito, Halsey, Kevin Bacon, and Mia Goth – he worked on a smaller project partially filmed in Delaware. The 2011 film is an eerie one called “The Roost,” shot in Rehoboth Beach, Wilmington and Kennett Square, according to IMDB. The horror film is about friends heading to a Halloween wedding who get in a car accident in the middle of nowhere and wind up at a strange farm.
‘Beloved’: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, New Castle County (1998)
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.
‘Mayor Cupcake’: Lea Thompson; Bridgeville, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth (2011)
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.
‘The Village’: Joaquin Phoenix, Centreville (2004)
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.
‘Fight Club’: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Wilmington area (1999)
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.
‘Dish & The Spoon’: Greta Gerwig, Dover and Sussex County (2011)
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.
‘Clean and Sober’: Michael Keaton, Morgan Freeman, Claymont (1988)
In the history of actors cast as Batman, many fans rank Michael Keaton as the best. He shined in Tim Burton’s classics “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, set in Delaware (2015)
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, set in Delaware (1996-2000)
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 streaming on Amazon Prime.
‘Dead Poets Society’: Robin Williams, Middletown, Wilmington, Historic New Castle (1989)
Last year marked 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 reporters Ryan Cormier and Patricia Talorico 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.
Amendment passes after first vote fails
The legislation needed 28 of the 41 House members to vote yes, including one Republican. However, only 24 members voted in favor of the bill in the first House vote last month, with one Democrat voting no and one not voting. Most House Republicans did not vote. Bill sponsor state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, D-Rehoboth Beach, initially voted yes and then changed her vote to ‘no’ so it could be reconsidered.
When the bill was brought up again on June 30, 28 state representatives voted yes and 12 voted no.
State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, D-Newark, said she did not vote the first time the bill was considered in the House because of concerns that not everyone’s marriages are recognized in Delaware. The lawmaker unsuccessfully pushed legislation last year aimed at recognizing first-cousin marriages on behalf of a constituent.
Wilson-Anton publicly apologized to people she said had reached out to her with hurt feelings over not voting and pledged to vote yes if it was brought up again. However, she has also called out the “racist and Islamophobic hate” directed toward her by people online.
“It’s been stormy, it’s been lonely and it’s been difficult, and I do it anyway, because it’s the right thing to do,” she said. “I think we really need to do a lot of self-reflection over this break before we come back next year and have honest discussions about how productive it is to snipe at each other over social media instead of taking issues directly to each other and our constituents in a more productive way.”
State Rep. Josué Ortega, D-West Wilmington, changed his vote from no to yes, saying that while his Catholic faith will always guide him, he needed to represent the wants of his constituents.
Most Republicans voted no, noting that gay marriage is already legal in Delaware. But Snyder-Hall said those protections can be removed with a simple majority vote in a way that adding it into the state’s constitution cannot.
“There’s a movement going to try to claw back protections that have been established in law for the LGBTQ+ community, and also racial equality,” she said. “Our constitution reflects our values and in Delaware we want to make sure that everybody knows that.”
Hockessin state Rep. Mike Smith was the lone Republican who voted to approve the measure. He said many of his constituents were on both sides of the issue.
“I did hear from a lot of members of my district [that] life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness directly affects them in this issue,” he said. “So you’ll be getting my support today.”
Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote in each chamber in consecutive legislative sessions. The legislation just completed its first leg. The second leg would have to be approved by the end of June 2028.
MUNCIE, IN — The Delaware County commissioners on Monday, July 6, approved a measure expressing a lack of confidence in Marion County’s prosecutor, Ryan Mears.
The resolution, read aloud at Monday’s meeting by commissioner Stephen Brand, also had the approval of Delaware County’s prosecutor and sheriff, Eric Hoffman and Tony Skinner, respectively.
The measure noted statistics reflecting “multiple years of elevated violent crime” in Marion County and Indianapolis, creating concerns for officials and citizens statewide about the “policies and practices” of Mears, a Democrat who has been been Marion County prosecutor since 2019.
It also said authorities in Hoosier counties near Marion County have “documented increasing criminal activity involving individuals traveling from Marion County into neighboring jurisdictions, creating significant public safety challenges and financial burdens for local taxpayers.”
Brand said Delaware County has experienced “firsthand the consequences of these policies, including major violent felony prosecutions involving multiple defendants who traveled from Marion County to commit serious crimes within Delaware County.”
Five Indianapolis residents face charges stemming from the December slaying of 48-year-old Michael D. Greer of Shelbyville.
Greer’s body was found in a burning car along Delaware County Road 500 South west of Indiana 3.
Brand said the cases “require substantial expenditures of local taxpayer dollars for law enforcement investigations, incarceration costs, court operations, public defense services, jury trials, victim services and prosecution resources.”
“Delaware County taxpayers should not be forced to bear increasing financial burdens associated with a criminal justice system in another jurisdiction that fails to adequately deter, prosecute and incapacitate repeat violent offenders,” the county commissioner said.
In reading the measure, Brand said citizens of Delaware County “expect prosecutors throughout the state to uphold the rule of law, protect public safety and seek justice on behalf of crime victims.”
The measure said the Delaware County commissioners, Hoffman and Skinner believe the “policies and practices of Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears have contributed to circumstances that negatively impact public safety and pose unnecessary costs on Delaware County taxpayers.”
The resolution won the approval of all three commissioners, Brand, Shannon Henry and Sherrry Riggin. Henry said he decided to support the measure because it had the support of Hoffman and Skinner.
The no-confidence resolution will be sent to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, the Indiana General Assembly, the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council and Hoosier congressional representatives.
Democrat Mears is campaigning for re-election in the Nov. 3 election. His local critics — the commissioners, Hoffman and Skinner — are Republicans.
In early June, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican, criticized Mears on the floor of the U.S. Senate, calling him soft on crime.
The Indiana Fraternal Order of Police also issued a vote of no cofidence against Mears at its annual convention in June.
Efforts to contact Mears for comment on Monday were unsuccessful. Calls to his office were sent to a voice mailbox that was already full.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
What Delaware’s New Probate Threshold Means for Your Estate Plan
On June 10, 2026, Governor Matt Meyer signed House Bill 333 into law, raising Delaware’s small estate probate threshold from $30,000 to $50,000. The change took effect immediately. Under the new law, an estate valued at $30,000 or less still applies if the decedent died before June 10, 2026. For anyone who dies on or after that date, the threshold is now $50,000.
In practical terms, this means that when a person passes away owning $50,000 or less in assets held solely in their own name, their family may be able to use Delaware’s simplified small estate process instead of opening a formal probate administration through the Register of Wills. The prior $30,000 limit had not been updated since 2005, so this adjustment brings Delaware’s threshold in line with neighboring states like Pennsylvania and Maryland, and is intended to ease the burden on families settling modest estates.
So what does this mean for your estate plan? For most people, not much.
It is a welcome update, and will help some Delaware families, particularly those with smaller estates who might otherwise have faced the time and expense of a formal probate proceeding for what amounts to a car and a bank account. If that describes your situation, this change is good news.
But for the majority of Delaware, the probate threshold remains far below what most people accumulate over a lifetime of homeownership and savings. A $50,000 limit still captures most estates well within the reach of formal probate. Owning a home, and/or holding savings with any meaningful balance, is often enough on its own to exceed the new threshold. The estate planning strategies that made sense before HB 333 still make sense today.
A well-structured plan continues to do its job. A properly funded trust, whether revocable or irrevocable, keeps assets titled outside your individual name and outside the probate process altogether, regardless of what the statutory threshold happens to be. Trusts remain one of the most effective tools available for avoiding probate, maintaining privacy, and controlling how and when your assets pass to the people you love.
Alongside a trust, a current Power of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directive are just as essential. These documents have nothing to do with the probate threshold at all. They govern what happens while you are alive, giving someone you trust the legal authority to manage your finances or make health care decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so yourself. Without them, your family may find themselves in court seeking guardianship at the exact moment they can least afford the delay.
HB 333 is a sensible, incremental update to a number that had been frozen for two decades. It deserves recognition as good public policy. But it is not a substitute for a thoughtful estate plan, and it does not change the guidance we have long given our clients: build a plan around a Trust, keep your Powers of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directives current, and revisit that plan regularly as your life and assets change.
If you have questions about how this update applies to your specific situation, or if it has been a while since your documents were reviewed, we would welcome the opportunity to talk with you.
Procino-Wells & Woodland, LLC is Delaware’s trusted resource for estate planning, elder law, and estate and trust administration. Serving all of Delaware from offices in Lewes and Seaford, our firm is dedicated exclusively to helping families create comprehensive estate plans, protect assets from long-term care costs, navigate Medicaid and Veterans Aid & Attendance benefits, establish supplemental needs trusts, and administer estates. Our team-based approach ensures every client receives consistent, exceptional service from our award winning attorneys and experienced staff, all women who are passionate about this area of law. Whether you’re planning ahead or need immediate assistance with asset protection, our 46 years of combined attorney experience serves Delaware families through in-person and virtual consultations. Learn more at www.pwwlaw.com.
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