Celebrities Michael Shannon, Austin Butler, Norman Reedus Recently Spotted in Cincinnati

Cincinnati is no stranger to the spotlight, with the city increasingly attracting award-winning Hollywood directors and top talent — from Timothée Chalamet and Cate Blanchett to Colin Farrell and Regina King — for various film projects.

In fact, earlier this year, MovieMaker magazine named Cincinnati one of the “Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker,” in part fueled by Ohio’s 30% rebate on projects that spend at least $300,000.

So it’s no surprise when Queen City residents stumble on stars.

But a recent production seems to be upping the celebrity quotient in town.

Director Jeff Nichols (Loving, Mud, Take Shelter) is in Cincinnati filmingThe Bikeriders. Taking inspiration from photographer Danny Lyon’s 1967 book of the same name, the movie tells “an original story about a ’60s Midwestern motorcycle club as it evolves over the course of a decade from a community for outsiders into a far more sinister gang,” according to an article from Variety magazine.

“We are thrilled to host this incredibly talented team and provide tremendous opportunities for locals,” Film Cincinnati executive director Kristen Schlotman said in a release about the movie. “It’s a very exciting time for Cincinnati’s own role in the film industry.”

Stars attached to The Bikeriders — which began filming this month — include Tom Hardy (Venom, Dunkirk, Inception), Austin Butler (Elvis), Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Michael Shannon (Knives Out, The Shape of Water, Boardwalk Empire) and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead).

And they aren’t just staying on set.

According to popular celebrity-spotting, blind-item Instagram account @deuxmoi, Butler was seen at downtown’s Boca restaurant this past weekend.

And reddit user smithsknits spotted Shannon during BLINK, writing in a post: “He was so nice and very sweet. He was with his mom and his brother. He talked to my two kids about their light-up swords. What a surreal moment!”

Shannon has also been seen snagging coffee at Over-the-Rhine’s 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab.

PerThe Cincinnati Enquirer, Hardy — a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion in addition to being an actor — visited Powell MMA and Fitness in the West End at the beginning of October, posing for a photo with the gym’s owner and posting it to his Instagram story.

And Reedus was seen shopping at the Blue Ash Target.

Last week, it looks like The Bikeriders was filming in Ludlow, Kentucky (per reddit), so keep your eyes peeled — you never know when you’ll run into an A-lister.

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This article appears in Oct 5-18, 2022.