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A long-time Hollywood producer who’s been eying the Sooner State as a new venue for making movies since last year will begin shooting in Norman as soon as this fall.

Randy Turrow, a 30-year veteran of the film industry, says everything has fallen into place for a $10 million movie project that could put Norman in the national spotlight for something other than college sports.

“Norman is a special place, and its uniqueness is going to appeal to people,” he said.

Turrow is working with screenwriters Clint Cadinha and Angel Rodriguez on “Defenders,”  a coming-of-age story about teenagers who stand up to bullies in their high school through the use of martial arts.

Turrow has high hopes for Oklahoma, and he believes it’s an appropriate place for “Defenders,” a film about supporting one another.

“I look at this as the next opportunity to show teenagers how to respect their dignity in the midst of bullying,” he said. “You don’t have to attack everybody. You have to lift people up.”

Turrow, who has spent many years specializing in managing the budgetary side of Hollywood movie productions, said “Defenders” will be a box office success because of the lower production costs in Oklahoma and the movie’s potential appeal to audiences hungry for positive, encouraging stories.

Turrow says he’s working with Nicolas Chartier, another long-time movie maker and founder of Voltage Pictures, who shares his optimism for the film.

Chartier and his international movie-making business have been involved in financing, producing, and distributing more than 500 films, and he is a two-time Academy Award winner. His productions, “The Hurt Locker” in 2008 and “Dallas Buyers Club” in 2013 won Best Picture awards, and Turrow says Chartier is interested in distributing “Defenders.”

Chartier thinks “Defenders” could very well pull Harry Potter box office numbers, Turrow said. The first movie in the series, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which premiered in 2001, grossed more than $300 million across the United States and Canada.

Screenwriter Cadinha, who lives in Huntington Beach, Calif., said he is thrilled to be shooting their movie in Norman.

“The reception in Norman, the way everyone there responded to us, it’s just been magical for us,” he said.

“I’m so overwhelmed by the support that we’re receiving,” he said. “The movie industry does not get this. When you have a permit to shoot almost anywhere else, you have taillights at 11:00 p.m. That means the last truck needs to be pulling out at 11 o’clock,” Cadinha said.

“Norman is turning into a back lot for us. I mean, coordinating train schedules, everything, they’re just helping us immensely. And Norman’s size is ideal for the story. We love it. That’s exactly what we wanted for “Defenders’.”

He said they are wrapping up contracts with acting talent for key roles and they plan to use a lot of local talent for smaller roles.

The story is actually set in Norman, and because the movie is about high schoolers, parts of the movie will be filmed at Norman North High School and the setting will be around homecoming, so Cadinha is hoping to be shooting between October and December.

Norman received its designation as a Film Friendly Community from the Oklahoma Movie + Music Office last month. That means the city is willing to support movie projects with various logistical needs, such as closing streets, changing signage on buildings, or bringing in large numbers of production vehicles or extras to city businesses or residential areas.

While permitting fees in Los Angeles can range into the thousands of dollars per day, Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila said daily permits in Norman are only $25 because Norman wants to be a place where filmmaking is affordable.

The red carpet is out for a reason.

“I’m not so interested in the movie stars,” Heikkila said, “but I am attracted to the good jobs. We look for opportunities to keep talent in Norman, from engineers to artists. This is an opportunity to move Norman up.”

Movie producer Turrow said Norman has a multitude of ingredients that make it attractive to the movie industry. The community has a diverse landscape with interesting architecture, neighborhoods, and a unique downtown area. It has plenty of shoreline, nearby rural settings and it has a major university.

The Golden State resident said California isn’t as beautiful as it used to be because of politics. He wants to be in Oklahoma, where he can make family movies that are optimistic, positive and uplifting for people, and he’s looking forward to seeing how Norman will work out.

“If it does work out, we’ll be making more,” he said.