Director Steven Spielberg will bring the production of his next film, the sci-fi thriller Robopocalypse, to Montreal in the summer.Director Steven Spielberg will bring the production of his next film, the sci-fi thriller Robopocalypse, to Montreal in the summer. Associated Press

Legendary moviemaker Steven Spielberg will shoot his latest big production, the sci-fi thriller Robopocalypse, in Montreal next summer, according to a report.

The Journal de Montreal reports that Spielberg has inked a deal with the Montreal film studio Mel's Cité du Cinema to start production of the $200-million film, based on the best-selling novel by Daniel H. Wilson.

The story of Robopocalypse is set in the aftermath of a robot uprising. The entire film will be shot in Montreal, according to the newspaper, citing studio owner Michel Trudel as its source.

Bringing the mega-budget production to Montreal is expected to create hundreds of jobs for Quebecers.

Trudel told the paper he expects construction to begin on movie sets by March, and that filming should begin in July and wrap by September.

Spielberg's Tintin to debut in Quebec

Robopocalypse is being co-produced by Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks, the company co-founded by Spielberg.

Location scouts had reportedly visited Oklahoma earlier in the year, but Canada was ultimately chosen in order to take advantage of tax incentives.

With such a large budget, Robopocalypse — tentatively set for a 2013 release — will be one of the biggest ever movie shoots to come to Montreal. Other Hollywood productions that have recently chosen Montreal as a filming destination include last year's Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, and the Snow White with Julia Roberts, which shot this past summer.

Trudel said he had struggled for some time trying to secure studio space that would be large enough to accommodate the scope of the Robopocalypse production.

The 64-year-old Spielberg, who is perhaps best known for helming classics such as Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark, also chose Quebec this year for the North American premiere of his highly-anticipated Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.

Tintin will open in Quebec on Dec. 9.