The mayor's office is warning people not to be alarmed by thick black smoke billowing from Old Gentilly Blvd. near the I-510 today. 

It's special effects for a movie crews are filming. 

Hollywood South remains very hot with some $531 million spent locally in the film industry just last year. 

State officials say many big stars are working  in Southeast Louisiana right now.

Here is a list of some of the actors that the Louisiana Department of Economic Development says are working in and around New Orleans this month:

Brad Pitt
Mark Wahlberg
Liam Hemsworth
Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson
James Franco
Jonah Hill
Seth Rogen
Leonardo DiCaprio
Samuel L. Jackson
Jamie Foxx

Click here for more on "Hollywood South"...

As for the set on Old Gentilly Blvd. today, the mayor's office says they are taking steps to ensure everything is safe.

"As a result of special effects activity, billowing black smoke will rise up from the filming site between the hours of 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. There will be no explosives used to create this effect," a news release says.  "NOFD and NOPD will be on site to monitor public safety." 
 
The city has seen a lot of film activity thanks to the incentives and tax credits.

"In 2011, $531 million was spent locally in the film industry during both filming and post-production, contributing significantly to the New Orleans economy by creating jobs," the release says.