BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- A portion of downtown Brunswick is being transformed into a movie set for a big Blockbuster film.
Superstar Ben Affleck will direct and star in the movie 'Live By Night', a Prohibition era crime drama based on the popular Dennis Lehane novel.
Crews are building several temporary buildings along the 1300 block of NewCastle St. for Affleck's latest project, which will also star Zoe Saldana, Elle Fanning, and Sienna Miller, according to IMDb.
"It has been very exciting to see everybody downtown and the construction work that's been going on," said Lynn Warwick of Main Street Frame Shop.
Warwick's store is next door to the construction.
"They're so good about keeping us informed about what's going on," she said.
Affleck has made several visits to Brunswick since the beginning of the year but tends keeps a low profile while he's in town. Earlier this month, he dined at Indigo Coastal Shanty, a popular restaurant around the corner from the construction. A photo of him inside the business has been shared and 'liked' hundreds of times since it was posted.
Mathew Hill, Executive Director with the Brunswick Downtown Development Authority, believes the publicity will be good for businesses.
"By the time filming starts, they'll have 150 crew people around," he said.
Brunswick Police Chief Kevin Jones tells First Coast News production crews have contracted off-duty officer to help provide security on and around the sets.
People have already started to scope out the block where the movie will be made.
"They're curious to see how a movie is made, how they can create a town from a vacant lot," he said.
While the construction crews have been contracted out, Hill said they're trying to keep the materials local. He said the building supplies, hardware, and steel are coming from local companies.
Warwick believes the movie will give locals a chance the show off a place so many of them call home.
"We have the islands. We have historic downtown Brunswick. We have the historical houses on Union Street down in the south end. It's just a wonderful place," she said.
According to IMDb, the movie is scheduled to be released sometime in 2017.
