Last year we saw Glasgow being used as the home for movie sets, from Brad Pitt’s upcoming zombie film World War Z to a Bollywood film featuring Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor. I just thought I’d do a blog on the other film that was recorded here – Cloud Atlas, seeing as it’s due for release later on this year, around October time. The streets of Glasgow were changed to look like San Francisco hills while they made the film adaptation of the book by David Mitchell, funnily enough called ‘Cloud Atlas‘. The story isn’t the classic beginning, middle, end narrative but 6 different stories set over various time periods and places which are all connected (sorry that’s a bit vague, I haven’t actually read the book).
The new film will feature Oscar-winning Halle Berry, along with many other familiar faces like Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent of Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge and Bridget Jones’ Diary fame. It is also co-directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski brothers that are most famous for The Matrix movies. Feel free to check out the film’s IMDB page for the full cast list and details!
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- More of Halle Berry on set in Glasgow, rocking a wig
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- Halle Berry, on set
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- Tom Hanks
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- Believe it not, this is Hugh Grant!
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- Familiar faces among the Cloud Atlas cast
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- Cloud Atlas
It’s so exciting when there’s something big like this Hollywood production in town, for instance apparently lots of people descended on the city when Brad Pitt was in town filming World War Z, with an appearance from Angelina Jolie too. However there was criticism that it made people’s journeys much longer with all the traffic and disruption caused for the filming. Despite differing opinions though, Glasgow becoming a new favourite place favoured by Hollywood directors to film means extra money for the economy – according to the Guardian, an extra £150 million has been made from filmmaking in the city in the last decade. Not bad.
On a side note, recently in Edinburgh, James McAvoy was also spotted filming outside one of my friends’ workplace – The Christmas Shop near the Grassmarket for any of you that want to know. All the stars seem to be avoiding wherever I am! Anyway, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion – is all this good for Glasgow’s economy and publicity? Or would you rather they take it somewhere else?
Sacco Film 