Make no bones about it, Americans have been getting as excited about Peter Jackson filming a movie in their own backyard as Kiwis did when he made The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand. In scenes reminiscent of the intense interest surrounding his fantasy trilogy, during the past week curious locals in the small rural towns of Malvern and Willistown, in Pennsylvania, have gathered to get a peek at filming of Jackson’s $US80 million ($NZ104 million) The Lovely Bones.

Pennyslvania newspapers The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News have covered filming, taking photographs of Jackson with Kiwi actress Rose McIver, despite tight security on the closed set. And as with The Lord of the Rings, some fans have also been posting blogs and photographs online of Jackson at locations for the film.