By Ian Bush

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – There was a lot of excitement in Center City on Wednesday since Hollywood stars are on hand filming “Dead Man Down,” an action flick starring Colin Farrell and Terrence Howard.

(Credit: Ian Bush, KYW Newsradio)

Normally, a guy with a gun atop a building at 17th and Walnut, firing at men below, would be a big concern for cops.  But in this case, it’s just A-list celebrity Farrell, following the script.

Joe Zolfo, one of the film’s executive producers, tells KYW Newsradio, “We’re shooting a scene that takes place in Manhattan where one of our characters is being hunted down by another.”

Using New York City cabs and signs, they’ve transformed the Philly block to E. 17th Street and Irving Place. Zolfo explains that the architecture is similar, and that makes it easier to create movie magic.

“The public is just really great — the city, the residents, the people who work in the neighborhood, the business owners, everybody is just really helpful and cooperative and they’re allowing us to do our thing,” he says. “At the same time, we try very hard to make sure to keep the traffic moving so everyone else can do their thing.”

And with such big-name stars filling Philly streets, some may say it seems like New York, too, since dozens of people crowded the sidewalks to get a glimpse of Farrell and Howard.

Filming continues on Walnut between 16th and 17th on Thursday, Friday, and Monday.