Brad Pitt’s World War Z gets early Glasgow showing

Superstar Brad Pitt while filming in in Glasgow. Picture: Getty

• Scenes were filmed in and around George Square in Glasgow

• Filmmakers transformed Glasgow into Philadelphia for the film

• The film will be screened in connection with the West End Festival

Glasgow was made to look like Philadelphia. Picture: PA

No other cinema will be allowed to screen the movie until The Grosvenor in Ashton Lane stages a showing on June 19 as part of the West End Festival.

It will be the first time the film is been screened other than the world premiere in London on June 2.

Ken Creelman, the cinema’s development manager, got in touch with Paramount to ask if the venue would be allowed to show it early because of the film’s connections to Glasgow.

Filmmakers transformed the city into Philadelphia in August 2011.

Hundreds of production staff and extras filmed a zombie attack in and around George Square while Glasgwegians tried to catch a glimpse of heartthrob Brad Pitt.

Ken said: “I spoke to my contact at Paramount to find out when the release for World War Z was.

“He told me it was June 21 and I thought that was a perfect time to work with the West End Festival. So Paramount agreed to us getting a showing before it’s released.

“People have been desperate to see it because if you are from Glasgow you know straight away that’s where it’s filmed.”

The cinema is to hold the screening at 9pm. There are only 100 seats.”

Before the Scottish premier there will be a zombie-theme party in the upstairs Lane Bar.

Customers are to dress up as zombies and staff will be rolling out the red carpet.

Grosvenor manager Kate Coventry said: “It’s such a coup for us to get this and we are absolutely excited.

“It’s fantastic for the West End Festival and Glasgow.”

Alan Mahon, cinema communications and social media officer, said: “World War Z is ours. As Glaswegians we are a part of it and the film belongs to us in a way. We want people to really go the whole hog on the night and get dressed up.”

The trailer for the film features several scenes of Glasgow.

Brad stars as Gerry Lane, a UN worker travelling the world in a race against time to stop a global zombie outbreak.

Actress Mireille Enos plays his wife Karin and mum to their two children.

On April 25, Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson wrote to Paramount asking them to stage a premiere in the city.

It is estimated the 17-day shoot in Glasgow boosted the city’s economy by around three million pounds.

Liz Scobie, chair-woman of West End Festival, said: “It’s great to see a piece of Hollywood coming to the West End.”