Written by new-contact on Oct 13, 2011. Posted in On Location

Brad Pitt’s World War Z has problems with rifle imports on location in Budapest

Zombie thriller World War Z has had some problems importing guns into Budapest, its latest filming location, according to US Weekly. The production imported nearly 90 assault rifles, presumably for planned action scenes, but it turned out the weapons were capable of firing live ammunition.

The guns were supposed to be deactivated and perhaps capable of firing blank rounds. Paperwork said this was the case, but it seems a mistake was made somewhere along the line and Hungary’s Anti-Terrorism Unit stepped in to clarify things.

A private plane brought guns wrapped in a parcel from a company to an individual [in Budapest]. Guns like these are highly illegal to transport even if they were used as stage guns, which hopefully they weren't.

Hajdu Janos and Zsolt Bodnar, Hungarian Anti-Terrorism Unit

Hajdu Janos and Zsolt Bodnar are the Director and Deputy Director, respectively, of the unit, and spoke to the outlet: “A private plane brought guns wrapped in a parcel from a company to an individual [in Budapest]. Guns like these are highly illegal to transport even if they were used as stage guns, which hopefully they weren't.”

World War Z has been filming in multiple European locations over the past few months, including Malta and a high-profile stint in Glasgow that saw the Scottish city doubling for Philadelphia. It’s unclear whether Budapest is being filmed as itself or doubling for another part of the world.