Brad Pitt in Glasgow for World War Z

You'd be forgiven for thinking someone's spiked the water if you see yellow cabs, unfamiliar shop fronts and American street signs in Glasgow in the next few weeks – but it's all being done for the shoot of World War Z .

Glasgow city centre is being made up to look like Philadelphia and Brad Pitt is heading into town to film additional footage for the zombie thriller.

World War Z shoots from 15-31 August and a spokesperson for Glasgow City Council told the BBC the local economy could benefit by more than £2m.

Glasgow Film Office said it had secured the production thanks to the city's grid system and wide streets, which are similar to US cities.

“The positive feedback and support we are getting from all corners together with a real buzz of excitement around the city is terrific,” the film's location manager Michael Harm told The Hollywood Reporter .

“We had 7,000 people attending the open casting for background artists.”

The film is based on Max Brooks' post-apocalyptic novel World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War and is due to be released next year.