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 mo.
