Although the center of attention on the Universal lot for shooting war of the War of the Worlds last month was the tripods aliens, the statue described by the extra filming seems to be the same one transported from Prospect Park, in Brooklyn, where Steven Spielberg was supposed to shoot but decided not to (see the link below).

"The set was an intersection, with one corner being a park/playground with a statue of an early patriot with a tri-cornered hat...statue crawling with red vines," this extra said.

The statue was designed in the Bayonne special effects section, sent to Brooklyn, where the crews waited to get the shoot scheduled, but at the last minute, transferred out to the West Coast for shooting there.

Boston has become the central city poised for destruction, as indicated by signs in the Staten Island shoot.

Why Boston?

Speculation suggests that Spielberg might be seeking to capture some of the flavor of a very English novel. His staff has already said that the film will be centered in the United States and not world wide as hinted at in the original trailer.

Boston, of course, is loaded with references to the American Civil War, flavoring the new movie with that patriotic appeal - as indicated in by the name of the statue pictured here.

Spielberg abandoned the Prospect Park shoot, although he may have done some filming in Brooklyn as one extra suggested here in New York. He may also have recently returned to New Jersey to do some fix up shots, although that is less certain at this point.