Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More!

Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com

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It’s been a while since my last trip to Glasgow, Scotland’s other city – over three years in fact! I visited for Glasgow Film Festival in early 2015 and I didn’t see nearly enough of the place. But there are a surprising amount of Hollywood film locations in Glasgow for a number of reasons that might surprise you.

Firstly, Glasgow is a historically industrial city and you’re more likely to find modern, urbanised areas than the cobbled streets of somewhere like Edinburgh. It’s got the anonymity of other famous stand-in cities like Vancouver, Canada and Atlanta in Georgia, USA. Don’t get me wrong, Glasgow is unique in its own way and a lot of landmarks could only be found there. But you’ve got to admit, it’s more chameleon-like than Edinburgh.

Let’s have a look at the Hollywood film locations in Glasgow. One film hasn’t even been released yet!

Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow

Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | Cloud Atlas, Hobbs & Shaw, Fast & Furious 6, Under The Skin | Glasgow Filming Locations | Film in Glasgow | Scotland Filming Locations | almostginger.com
© 2013 Paramount Pictures

1. Douglas Street as seen on Cloud Atlas (2012)

Where: G2 4EZ

Cloud Atlas is possibly one of the few Hollywood films (aside from Trainspotting (1996) and T2 Trainspotting (2017) but that’s a British film) that have used filming locations in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. I still haven’t watched Cloud Atlas but from what I gather, the same actors become different characters in different time zones and their souls are reborn again and again… or something.

Douglas street and Montrose street were Cloud Atlas’ Hollywood film locations in Glasgow as they stood in for 1970s San Fransisco. Both streets are wide with steep hills. And I imagine it’s a lot easier (and cheaper) to film in Glasgow instead of San Fran. Particularly if you’re trying to represent a different era.


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Hollywood Film Locations in Edinburgh: Cloud Atlas, Avengers & More!


Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com
© 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

2. Broomielaw as seen on Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

Where: G2 8AE

The sixth instalment in the Fast and Furious Franchise (creatively named Fast & Furious 6) was largely set in London. So, this time Glasgow filming locations were used to stand in for a city a little closer to home.

During a high-speed car chase through London’s busy streets, the filming switches to Glasgow’s financial district around Broomielaw, Cadogan Street and Wellington Street. The tunnel is in Merseyside, and then the team end up back in London near Wembley Stadium. All very seamless, and we’re all none the wiser! Unless you research filming locations as much as I do, of course.

Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com
© 2013 Universal Pictures

3. George Square as seen on World War Z (2013)

Where: G2 1DH

Glasgow steps in for a US city again. But this time it isn’t San Fransisco, it’s apocalyptic Philadelphia. World War Z stars Brad Pitt as a United Nations investigator who now has to search for a cure to stop the zombie pandemic taking over the world. World War Z also shot in Malta which is another country I’ve visited recently.

The American city grid-like layout around George Square makes it the ideal filming location in Glasgow to stand in for an urban, modern American city like Philadelphia. Other Glasgow filming locations that were used in World War Z include Cadagon Street (like Fast & Furious 6) and Bothwell Street.


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Hollywood Film Locations in Malta: Gladiator, Captain Phillips & More!


Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com
© 2013 Paramount Pictures

4. Buchanan Galleries as seen on Under The Skin (2013)

Where: 220 Buchanan St G1 2FF

I know, Under The Skin is technically a British independent film. And if I’m including this film, then why am I not including Trainspotting? Well, firstly, I already have a Trainspotting filming locations post. And I just feel that with all the buzz surrounding Under The Skin because of its lead, Scarlett Johansson, it’s more ‘Hollywood’ than a lot of other British indies.

Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who drives around Glasgow/the Highlands and preys on men (a bit of a simplistic way of describing the plot but let’s just go with it). She wears a dark, bobbed wig in the film which might be why she was able to shoot around Glasgow with minimal recognition from the locals. One of the opening locations is Buchanan Galleries, a shopping mall in Glasgow. But some streets that she drives down in Glasgow include Celtic Park and George Street.

Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com
© 2014 StudioCanal

5. Hutchesons’ Hall as seen on The Wife (2017)

Where: 158 Ingram St, G1 1EJ

A slightly different change of pace as The Wife is an Award-winning drama while most of these films fit in the action/fantasy genres. However, like many of these Hollywood film locations in Glasgow, The Wife is set a little the US (around Connecticut) and largely in Stockholm, Sweden but filmed almost entirely in Scotland.

The Wife follows a woman who is married to a troubled, and failing, author until she agrees to help him write one book which becomes a bestseller and the deceit snowballs. Years of secrets and lies are about to be revealed when her husband is nominated for a Nobel prize in Literature.

Glasgow stands in for the city of Stockholm (see, told you it was a versatile city) in The Wife. Hutchesons’ Hall is a beautiful, renovated building in Glasgow with a Steak House and event spaces so likely was the interior for a lot of the Nobel prize scenes.

Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com
© Meta Film London Ltd

6. City Chambers as seen on Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

Where: 82 George Square G2 1DU

Annnnnd our final Hollywood film location in Glasgow is one we can’t be too sure about because the film hasn’t been released yet! Hobbs & Shaw is a spin-off from the Fast & Furious franchise starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. It’s set in London and, much like its predecessor Fast & Furious 6, will use film locations in Glasgow to recreate London, but in a much quieter, less congested city.

Glasgow can be seen on the trailer and the archway of Glasgow City Chambers on John street as well as Ingram Street and Vincent Street can be spotted during, yup, another high-speed car chase. I hope the people of Glasgow don’t mind their city momentarily shutting down for all these Hollywood car chase stunts.

Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com
© 2019 Universal Pictures
Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | almostginger.com
© 2019 Universal Pictures

Those are all the big Hollywood film locations in Glasgow! Have you watched any of these big Hollywood films that use Glasgow filming locations? Let me know in the comments below!


Read next:

Hollywood Film Locations in Edinburgh: Cloud Atlas, Avengers & More!


Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More! | Cloud Atlas, Hobbs & Shaw, Fast & Furious 6, Under The Skin | Glasgow Filming Locations | Film in Glasgow | Scotland Filming Locations | almostginger.com
© 2013 Paramount Pictures

11 thoughts on “Hollywood Film Locations in Glasgow: World War Z, The Wife & More!

  1. Tony Cogan says:

    For some reason, all of this has really pushed the idea of doing something like a podcast about films and filmmakers related to the North with you into my mind

  2. Tony Cogan says:

    This post brought back some memories. Since my sister lives in Glasgow I’ve seen a fair few of these, I remember seeing the set of World War Z when filming was going on and seeing one of the explosions filmed for it, pretty weird seeing signs for Glasgow landmarks shift into Philadelphia ones, although one of the things I remember is that there was a Greggs in shot and when the film came out I hoped that they forgot to edit it out. Also remember watching Cloud Atlas in Glasgow, about 10 minutes away from where the scenes in the 1970s San Francisco story were filmed. With Ken Loach films, there was a scene for The Angel’s Share that was filmed on the same street my sister lived on for a year, which surprised us when we first saw it.

    • Rebecca says:

      Ahhhh I love little nuggets of info like that! I wish I’d paid more attention to the first Captain America film being shot in the Northern Quarter here in Manchester. Oooh I didn’t know they used Glasgow! I mentioned Cloud Atlas in my Edinburgh Film Locations post because they literally used the building I worked in for a month at the Edinburgh film which seemed so bizarre. That’s so funny! I love it when you have a personal connection to locations onscreen, the place seems sooo different.

      • Tony Cogan says:

        Yeah, definitely understand you with the Captain America thing, few weeks ago the Kingsman sequel was filming here in Birmingham but I didn’t go to the set, mainly because it was at the same time as my final year uni exams and I couldn’t justify the night off. I seem to have more of a personal connection with directors rather than locations, I don’t think any film would be filmed in St Helens or Selly Oak, but the director of the last few Harry Potter films was from my hometown, which almost no one in St Helens recognises.

        • Rebecca says:

          I guess because I don’t have any notable directors from Cumbria I don’t register that as much… David Yates is from St Helens?! That’s awesome, I didn’t know that!!

          • Tony Cogan says:

            Well you do have a few notable faces from Cumbria, half of Laurel and Hardy and the creator of the Quatermass series are from Cumbria. And yeah, David Yates is from St Helens, him and Johnny Vegas are the only people from that shithole to do anything notable in the film industry so far (one of my friends is hoping to break into TV so here’s hoping he’s third). But yeah, our parts of the North don’t have enough faces in the industry. It’s got me thinking that we should highlight films and people from the North, us Northerners have to stick together

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