Costner Bills movie moved to Cleveland

BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) - Buffalo has lost out to Cleveland in a battle to make Buffalo the location for filming a Kevin Costner film, “Draft Day”.

Despite campaigns mounted by New York State and the Buffalo Niagara Niagara Film Commission, the motion picture will be shot in Cleveland with Costner playing the Cleveland Browns GM rather than the Buffalo Bills GM.

The movie which is set to be directed by Ivan Reitman, would have detailed the Bills GM's struggles with an out-spent and last-place team during the draft. The film will now shift focus to the Browns.

"I think Mr. Reitman, the director and producer, would have preferred to shoot it here. I mean, he's expressed his disappointment that it's not being shot here. The move was written for Buffalo and it should be shot in Buffalo," said Tim Clark of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission.

Clark says the bottom line was economics. The Cleveland deal was better for the filmmakers – Cleveland was $3.5 million cheaper than Buffalo.

Cleveland’s 35 percent tax deduction incentive was 5 percent higher than New York State.