Central Europe’s boulevard of dreams

Look out, Universal Studios–there’s a new kid in town. In Bulgaria, that is:

SOFIA, Bulgaria — The building site stands five miles south of central Sofia, but the facades of the new structures would fit in easily among the low-rises of SoHo, Chinatown, and Little Italy. Two cars sporting the New York City Police Department logo are parked on the street, and copies of several New York publications clutter the windows of a street-corner newsstand.

“We’re creating a new New York,” David Varod proclaims as he watches the 200-person construction crew at work.

Mr. Varod is chairman of Nu Boyana Film Studios, which is erecting a gigantic set designed to mimic the architectural style and layout of Lower Manhattan’s neighborhoods. When Nu Boyana’s “new New York” is ready for lights, camera, and action in April, moviemakers whose scripts are set in New York City will be able to shoot their films in this Balkan nation for a fraction of the cost.

It doesn’t look like New York at all. But that’s the magic of the movies—and globalization at work, too.