Hollywood legend Spielberg turns city streets into dystopian nightmare...
OSCAR-WINNING film director Steven Spielberg has masterminded an overnight transformation of Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter into a futuristic dystopian American city as he shoots sci-fi thriller Ready Player One.
The city has rarely, if ever, been graced with such legendary Hollywood talent on its streets.
Part of the Jewellery Quarter was closed off for the shoot this week, which even included a car chase up and down Livery Street near Snow Hill.
American traffic signs and street names were all erected for the shoot, while Birmingham’s 1936 Telephone House, in Newhall Street, was transformed into ‘Columbus North High School’.
Nearby, the 1930s Art Deco St John Ambulance building was renamed as the United States Postal Service, with a flag over the door.
Many other parts of Lionel Street, Water Street and Livery Street have seen walls and street corners decorated with temporary graffiti.
Production teams worked meticulously for months to plan every moment of the schedule so Spielberg could work quickly on set.
Scenes have also been filmed under the city’s famous Spaghetti Junction.
Ready Player One is set in 2044 where many people are living in depressing stacks of homes piled high on top of each other. To escape this grim reality, they enter a virtual reality world called Oasis.
When the creator dies, the first to solve an Easter Egg puzzle will become the richest man in the world.
Stars of the film include British actors Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Ohio-born Ernie Cline, who is listed as one of the screenwriters.
The film is still listed for UK release on Good Friday, March 30, 2018.