Randy Travis Shoots Scenes for Jerusalem Countdown Movie

You never know who you're going to run into these days in Manistee, Michigan. The sleepy little town is quickly becoming a Mecca in the Michigan movie industry, drawing big-name stars to work on big-screen pictures. Talented stars including Kevin Sorbo ("Hercules"), Lee Majors ("The Six Million Dollar Man"), and Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) have been spotted locally as they pass through town to work on various films.

Filming for the upcoming Pureflix Entertainment movie Jerusalem Countdown continued Thursday in downtown Manistee, with crews shooting scenes involving country music super star Randy Travis. The scenes were shot in a large, empty downtown storefront.

The film is based on a book by the same name, written by John Hagee. The movie version features a plot full of romance and a lot of action. It is the fourth movie to be filmed in Manistee.

A scene was shot earlier this week in a downtown Manistee coffee shop with actors Carey Scott and Jaci Velasquez. Scott has played roles in many television shows and has also written and directed two feature films, Hidden Secrets (2006) and To the Wall (2009); Velasquez is best known for her success as a singer, having garnered honors including two Latin Grammy nominations, three Grammy nominations, five Latin Billboard Award nominations, and Latin Billboard's Female Pop Album of the Year.

The film is the most recent to be shot in the Manistee area since local production company 10 West Studios opened their doors this summer. 10 West Studios, capitalizing on Michigan's film industry tax credits, has brought dozens of job opportunities to the local area through a partnership with West Shore Community College. Local residents who took film industry training courses are now employed by the movie studio, performing in such capacities as lighting and sound technicians and other behind-the-scenes jobs.

Manistee residents have also been cast as extras in all of the films, and a few lucky locals have even been cast as actual characters for at least one of the films.

While no official release date has been announced for Jerusalem Countdown, it should hit stores on DVD sometime early in 2010. A publicity tour, including many television appearances, is slated to begin in January.