<P> Spielberg had Miranda Otto in mind for the part of Mary Ann, but at the time he called her she was pregnant and thought the opportunity would be missed . Spielberg then decided to incorporate Otto's pregnancy into the film, changing the part for her . </P> <P> Lawrence Brown wrote: "Spielberg's decision to present the invaders' fighting machines as having been there all along, buried deep under the Earth, raises questions which did not exist in the original Wells book . In Spielberg's version, these invaders had been here before, long ago, in prehistoric times . They had set up their machines deep underground, and departed . Why? Why not take over the Earth right there and then? Spielberg does not provide an answer, and the characters are too busy surviving to wonder about this . An answer suggests itself - a very chilling answer . The invaders were interested in humans as food animals . When they came here before, humans were very scarce . The aliens left their hidden machines and departed, patiently observing the Earth until humans would multiply to the requisite numbers - and then they came back, to take over . Under this interpretation, all of us - all humans over the whole of history - have been livestock living in an alien food farm, destined to be' harvested"'. </P> <P> Filming took place in Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, and New York . The film shooting lasted an estimated 72 days . Spielberg originally intended to shoot War of the Worlds after Munich, but Tom Cruise liked David Koepp's script so much that he suggested Spielberg postpone the former while he would do the same with Mission: Impossible III . Most of Munich's crew was brought in to work on War of the Worlds as well . In 2004, the production crews quickly were set up on both coasts to prepare for the start date, scouting locations up and down the Eastern Seaboard and preparing stages and sets which would be used when the company returned to Los Angeles after the winter holiday . Pre-production took place in only three months, essentially half the amount of time normally allotted for a film of similar size and scope . Spielberg notes, however, "This wasn't a cram course for War of the Worlds . This was my longest schedule in about 12 years . We took our time ." Spielberg collaborated with crews at the beginning of pre-production with the use of previsualization, considering the tight schedule . </P> <P> The scene depicting the first appearance of the Tripods was filmed at the intersection of Ferry Street, Merchart Street, and Wilson Avenue, in Newark, New Jersey . Later, Spielberg filmed several scenes in Virginia . The continuous scene was filmed in California . </P>

Where was the movie war of the worlds filmed