Will Smith "Attacks" New York

Helicopters And Thousands Of Extras Are On Hand To Film Sci-Fi Thriller

(CBS)  As Army helicopters and vehicles descended on Lower Manhattan Tuesday night, local residents knew they had nothing to worry about.

That's because city officials warned them well ahead of time that all the commotion was for a post-apocalyptic scene from Will Smith's new thriller, "I Am Legend."

In the movie, Smith plays the last person in New York, who has to deal with nightly attacks from the rest of the world — all of which has been transformed into bloodthirsty vampires.

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Photos: Will Smith's "I Am Legend"

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The film's producers are planning to stage the evacuation of Manhattan by barge this week. Police and Coast Guard members will be providing security for the scene, which may involve about 1,000 extras and a large crew.

Thousands fled Lower Manhattan after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the memories of that day are sill fresh in the minds of many people who live in the area. But one long-time resident, whose daughter and granddaughter also live a few blocks from the bridge, told The Showbuzz that she's not bothered by the mock evacuation.

"This is the new reality," she said. "In a way, they could have done something like this in the studio, but I look at it as helping the neighborhood. And it's Will Smith! I was excited about it."

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Video: WCBS-TV's Hazel Sanchez Reports From Location Of "I Am Legend"

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The Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting says the movie will employ about 3,000 New Yorkers. The science-fiction thriller is due to be released in late 2007.

Smith is nominated for a best actor Oscar for his performance in "The Pursuit of Happyness."