'World War Z': Brad Pitt to Begin Filming in Glasgow

7:22 AM PDT 8/15/2011 by Stuart Kemp

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Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

The city center is being transformed into Philadelphia; officials think the impact of production on the local economy will be more than $3.4 million.

LONDON – Brad Pitt’s anticipated arrival in Glasgow, Scotland, to shoot more footage for post-apocalyptic zombie thriller World War Z is causing a stir in the U.K.

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The story hit the lunchtime news bulletins Monday about the star’s arrival in the Scottish city which is being turned into the streets of Philadelphia for the movie.

The city center is being transformed into a lookalike for the U.S. city with yellow cabs, American cars, street signs and shop fronts being transplanted in to the heart of Glasgow for filming. It shoots there from August 15 through 31.

A spokesperson for Glasgow Film Office, which has played an instrumental role in securing production shoot days for the Scottish city, said they hoped they’d get some production because Glasgow has a similar grid system of wide streets, mirroring conurbations stateside.

The film’s location manager Michael Harm said the production team has been working very closely with the council and local residents and businesses.

“The positive feedback and support we are getting from all corners together with a real buzz of excitement around the city is terrific. We had 7000 people attending the open casting for background artists. We are really looking forward to making this a success for both the city of Glasgow and the film,” Harm said.

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council told the BBC it thinks the impact of the production on the local economy “is likely to be in excess of £2 million” ($3.4 million).

The film is based on Max Brooks' 2006 novel World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War, which is set in Philadelphia in the aftermath of a war between humans and zombies.

Some filming for the Paramount Pictures backed movie has already taken place in Valletta in Malta and in Falmouth in Cornwall. It is due to be released next year.