Newark was transformed into Gotham Saturday as scenes from the latest installment out of the “Batman” cinematic universe were filmed in the city’s downtown area.

Scenes for “The Joker” were being shot on Market Street in Downtown Newark. The upcoming film centers on the story behind Batman's archenemy.

Some of the movie's reported $55 million budget went into changing the facades on buildings on Market Street to look like 1980s Gotham. More spending went to the line of classic cars that waiting to drive through the scene at just the right moment.

Resident Steve Fredericks is a dedicated comic book fan. He also happens to live across the street from where filming was going on -- a lucky break for him.

"A lot of activity over the last couple days, they put all this stuff up, overnight pretty much. Even the fake trash, that I thought was real for a second," he says. "It's been great, a lot of people, a lot of buzz, it's been very exciting."

Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill restoring state film and tax credits earlier this year. The production gets a 30 percent tax credit for every day it films in New Jersey.

The production will be filming in Newark through Wednesday.

"The Joker" movie is scheduled to be released in October of next year. The production also filmed scenes in Jersey City last month.