The Film 'Paranoia' Takes Over Old City Neighborhood - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

The City of Brotherly Love is getting some Hollywood love this month. The production of the film "Paranoia" has returned to Philadelphia to finish up a few final scenes.

On Tuesday, the film crew took over a two-block stretch of Market Street in Old City, to shoot inside the Stephen Starr restaurant "Tangerine." Outside the restaurant, it actually looked like a typical Friday night in Old City, with lots of high heels and miniskirts, as extras took a break from shooting a club scene inside.

Philadelphia often sits in the shadow of New York City. But on that film set, Philadelphia IS New York. Robert Luketic, the director of "Paranoia," told Fox 29 his movie "doesn't take place in Philly but I'd say 80 percent of the movie, 85 percent of the movie is shot here."

The film is a psychological thriller starring Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. Neither was in town shooting-- they filmed their scenes in Philadelphia last summer. But the hot young actor Liam Hemsworth, otherwise known as Miley Cyrus' fiance, was inside shooting that nightclub scene. Fox 29 never actually spotted him.

But we saw lots of local actors dressing the part, hoping for their big break. "My goal is to get noticed and hopefully be in one of these myself," hopeful actor and Northeast Philly native Patrick King told Fox 29. Aileen Ziccole, a young actress originally from Sicklerville, NJ, explained her outfit. "I'm a nightclub patron, and you get to be part of the action, part of the scene that's going on." Although neither King nor Ziccole have any lines, King said, "I have a good spot right in front of the camera, so I think I'm all set."

But the real star we think is Philadelphia, even if we're a stand-in for the bigger city up north. Paranoia's director has found something special on our streets. "Very cinematic, very sort of attractive streets," Luketic explained. "The light here is beautiful." And even though a fire alarm stopped production for a short time as firefighters showed up for an unscripted cameo, Philadelphia definitely made a good impression. "It's been really fantastic, I have to say," Luketic insisted. "People have been genuinely excited and interested. Whereas in Hollywood everything is no, here it seems to be sure! Why not? Let's try it!"

The film is having a big impact on the local economy as well. Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, estimated that "Paranoia" has brought about $25 million in revenue to the city.

Unfortunately, this may be the last film production we see here for a while because state lawmakers have made significant cuts in the tax credits used to lure movies to Philadelphia. If you want to see the final cut, Paranoia is expected to hit movie screens next summer or early fall.